


Thursdays

by teleporteronline



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Basically the whole gang is here, College AU, F/F, F/M, High School AU, Ice Skating AU, M/M, Slow Burn, ice skater!satya gives me LIFE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-09-02 22:37:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 61,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8685979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teleporteronline/pseuds/teleporteronline
Summary: "Any other ideas?""Pick a day for me and I'll come every single day after that"After a rough summer and a few strains in her friendships, Mei is ready to give up on her senior year and her father's ice rink business. Before could even close down for the night, a tall and mysterious girl comes in with a bulky gym bag and asks her for a favor. What she expected was some extra cash for the business and some free publicity. She didn't expect crushing on a competitive figure skater she had for a lab partner.





	1. Amber Eyes and a Blue Gym Bag

**Author's Note:**

> so i tried finding some symmeitra fics here and i didn't find much so instead of complaining i decided to make something for the first time.

The biggest question on Mei-Ling Zhou's mind was "Why did everyone have to run the mile in November?"

Twenty minutes left in the period and the girl just wanted to go home. She was only on her second lap around the outside track and felt like her lungs would collapse. The cold air made her shiver instead of sweat and it made the entire experience feel like hell to her. She kept pushing herself to hurry up before the period was over. If she had to stay after school to redo the entire thing all over again in the proper time limit, she'd die. Who would open The Blizzard?

Jesse was her friend, yes, but trusting him with the keys? He'd probably take them and never give them back. She'd go to work next day and see her favorite vending machine gone. She knew he held a strong hatred for that broken machine. Mr. Reyes was busy tonight with his JROTC business and she didn't dare bother him when he was deep in his work. He probably wouldn't listen to her when he's in the zone. Genji was the most reliable out of everyone but his constant moving around would probably make him lose the keys. She couldn't sit him still for a minute if she really tried. And Lena? There's no way Mei would give her the keys. She'd speed-race to The Blizzard and then somehow manage to drop the keys in a sewer. She was worse than Genji at sitting still

Mei panted and panted, finally finishing her third lap. Nine more minutes to go before everyone had to pack up and go back to the changing rooms. The cold wind was starting to be extremely aggravating. Mei looked over to the bleachers to see Lena and Genji chatting. She felt envious at the two and their amazing record time finish. But after watching them crack jokes and laugh, it made Mei a little warm inside. Ever since Genji's brother graduated, her green haired friend has been more bubbly and lively towards everyone. It was a nice change, she thought.

Panting was heard right next to her and she turned to see Hana Song, one of her friends struggling to keep up. "Jesus," she said. "I wish Morrison came back. At least he'd let us play table tennis instead of doing this shit! I would've passed Gym by now if he was back here"

Mei chuckled at the underclassman. "Yeah, me too. I miss Morrison. The new guy is really unfair. Of course he doesn't believe it's cold. He's all bundled up!"

"What's his name anyways?" Hana asked, looking over to the new coach.

"Who knows?"

Hana huffed. "It's forty degrees and they're making us run in shorts. I miss my sweaters."

More and more people went to sit back on the bleachers while the girls completed their third lap. Four minutes left. The coach kept blowing his whistle to keep the kids going. "Hey, are you coming to The Blizzard tonight with Lucio? It's half off for any Overwatch graduates!"

Hana tried to steady her breathing. “Nah, we're both busy. I have a Starcraft tournament coming up so I need to practice. He's probably putting the finishing touches on his next album,” she panted. “Jeez, this cramp is killing me!”

The junior began to slow down to catch her breath while Mei began to speed up. No one was getting those keys tonight. There was too much paperwork to be done. By a stroke of luck, the upperclassman manage to finish her final lap with thirteen seconds to spare while Hana and a few other kids didn't make the cut. Their worst nightmare had come true. They were doomed to stay after school to redo the entire mile. Starcraft practice and all other activities would have to wait until after the mile. Just thinking about staying outside any longer brought more shivers down her spine as Mei began to walk back inside to change into her clothes.

"Hey, you two! What's going on back there?!"

While the other students ran back inside, Mei turned back around to see what the coach was yelling about. He was walking towards the back of the bleachers and, in the distance, she spotted one of her friends, Jesse McCree, and a new girl she's never seen before. The girl was shoving cigarettes in her pocket while Jesse dusted any dirt off him, trying to think of excuses and escape routes. He made eye contact with Mei for a few moments and he could already feel the worry.

The coach stood in front of the two, looking extremely annoyed. "Well? Is there a reason you two aren't dressed? Or running?"

The girl laughed and moved strands of her purple hair out of her face. "Isn't class already over? Is there a rule we can't be out here and have a friendly chat?"

Nameless Coach rolled his eyes at her statement. "I'll just ignore that. I'm assuming you're new here. Name?"

She smirked. "Sombra."

He raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a look. "Great. You're one of those kids. I don't have time for this" He turned to face Jesse. "McCree? What's your excuse for failing today?"

The cowboy held onto his bag strap tightly as the focus came to him. Jesse McCree was never really good under pressure. There was a reason he never took public speaking as an elective. The only words he could think of were "uh" and "um". He turned to Sombra who simply raised an eyebrow at him then back to Mei for some answers. The ice rink owner shrugged helplessly as she watched on. What could she do? Get herself in trouble with him? Coach was still waiting for an answer and it was time to throw in the towel.

"I gotta tell ya, Coach Bayless. For once, I got nothin' to say," Jesse replied

"Finally out of excuses, huh?" Coach said, as he took out some slips from his pocket. "Well, you can make some new ones with Reyes in detention tomorrow morning along with your new friend here. And I expect to see this mile finished tomorrow or you will retake this course!"

Mei groaned to herself. Of course today was the day he had to get in trouble. If Jesse had to stay here, she would have to be the rink attendant tomorrow afternoon instead of working on her college essays. She hoped Reyes wouldn't mind coming over after school and doing his paperwork here. There's no way she could work two jobs at once and finish her homework in time for a good night's rest. She was exhausted enough running the ice rink without her father around. She didn't want to work single-handed again.

Jesse and "Sombra" walked away with detention slips in their hands, eager to leave the cold track. As soon as Coach Bayless turned his head and walked back to the track, the purple haired rebel winked at the cowboy and dashed behind the school. Mei and Jesse watched her as she moved out of sight and leave the two more confused than ever. Jesse sighed as the mysterious girl abandoned him and left no cigarettes in her tracks, leaving a very disappointed southern teen with a very perplexed Mei.

Jesse braced himself. "So, what's it this time, girl? You gonna ask why I cut class or why I'm still smokin' or why am I hangin' out with one of those kids?"

Mei looked towards the track and gave a small grin. "It's been three months and I finally found out his name is Bayless."

Jesse raised his eyebrows in bewilderment as the two walked inside. "Are you serious? That's it?"

"We'll talk later. I need to get my coat on. Lena and Genji are still waiting for me outside, you know."

The cowboy's mood perked up at the sound of his crush's name. "It's Wednesday already?"

Mei nodded her head before walking in the girl's locker room. "They're still outside the gym, I think."

Before she could even finish her sentence, he dashed off to the gym doors, eager to say just a simple hello to his crush Genji Shimada. Ever since their freshman year of high school, Jesse had been in love with the quiet, green-haired boy he saw in the hallways. Because of their mutual friends, they started to see each other at the same study sessions and eventually the same get-togethers that Fareeha would hold. Mei and Lena always knew there was something Genji felt for the cowboy but wouldn't dare to speak about it. He was too shy to say a word. When Jesse heard of his crush working as a skating instructor at The Blizzard, he begged Mei to work there with them as anything. A janitor would suffice. He was lucky she's nice to him.

After pulling on her coat, she grabbed her bag and took a look at herself in the mirror. Her chubby cheeks were tinted red because of the cold. The glasses she wore were a bit dirty and her bangs were all over the place. She's surprised no one even mentioned her appearance to her yet. She quickly fixed herself, embarrassed Jesse and his friend even saw her like this.

It got colder in the locker room as she thought of Jesse and "Sombra", or whatever her real name was. She noticed the girl was wearing Amélie's charm bracelet, a gift Genji has given her during their sophomore year as a Christmas present. She remembered the smile on the French girl's face when she took it out of the box. It was that smile that everyone adored. Mei never saw Jesse so concerned as he looked at Sombra running into the shadows, trying to find out who she really is. She knew it was some connection to Amélie. Any connections to her or Gerard were good enough for the cowboy at this point. Graduation had made him a mess that she didn’t know how to fix. Mei didn’t even know if she could fix him.

It's been a tough four years at Overwatch High School for Mei-Ling Zhou. With a father absent most of the time to expand business and a family establishment to take care of, she's been struggling. Trying so desperately to keep her cool and the valedictorian position has been a living nightmare for her. Maintaining friends was even harder now. Angela and Amélie graduated and haven't spoken to anyone since. Gerard had passed away and nobody wanted to talk about it anymore. The only one who stayed in contact was Lucio and that was only if he had signal in whatever country he was in.

She shouldn't complain. It's just that empty feeling that won't go away. 

She sighed and shook her head. "I need a break."

 

"It's a shame your motorcycle is busted, Jesse. I would've loved a better ride home from the rink."

Lena, Genji, Jesse, and Mei were all walking to The Blizzard to open it up for the day. Genji's brother, Hanzo, was too busy with college work to give them a ride so they were forced to walk twenty minutes in the freezing November weather. It wasn't all bad, though. Jesse told stories about what happened during the week between him and Mr. Reyes. Mei talked about the cute little towns her father visited while on his business trip. Genji just complained about his brother while Lena laughed along. If it wasn't for a short trip to the coffee shop for some hot cocoa, they probably would've perished.

"Oh yeah, Genji, just think about yourself. Y'know, Mei and I gotta live through this winter too!" Lena exclaimed

"I practically live in the cold. Just don't make me wear shorts and I'll try not to die," joked Mei

Genji rolled his eyes. "Coach Bayless is such an annoyance. He's lucky I actually run in my spare time or I would've given him a piece of my mind about the mile."

"It's not all that bad, loves. It's just hard work and determination!" replied Lena

"Says the track star. I'll have time to have determination and do work when I'm dead," said Jesse

"Jesse, you aren't cold with that cowboy hat on? It's barely covering your ears!" exclaimed Mei

"I'll take the hat off when I'm dead too."

Genji chuckled. "Oh, please. He'll get laid, get married, and send his kids off to college wearing that hat."

Mei ignored the two bickering and took out her keys to unlock the front door of The Blizzard. Seeing the tiny cartoon drone her father drew on the door in marker always brightened her day. The chill air from the rink went unnoticed due to the November coldness. All school bags were tossed in the back of the employee changing rooms and the sign at the front was changed to OPEN. The group didn't bother to go to their respective changing rooms and instead pulled their employee shirts over whatever they were already wearing. Genji didn't particularly enjoy the sky blue t-shirt with a tiny drone on it but he couldn't complain too much. At least it wasn't orange or something.

"I zambonied the ice before school this morning so we should be good to go!" Mei called out from reception

"Does anyone know when Zenyatta was supposed to show up?" asked Lena as she made her way onto the ice

"He said he was coming around 3. Mondatta’s yoga class is running a bit behind today," replied Genji

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Oh, fantastic. Your friend is a real helper, Genji," he said sarcastically.

"Don't be like that. He's helping us for free. Be thankful you don't have to work the concession stand with him," retorted Genji

"I'm just sayin’. It's kinda bad for the hippie to miss out on work when he says he'll help us for free."

"Oh, and you're a responsible worker? Should I remind you who broke Bastion the first time?"

"Calm down, please! We don't need a repeat of last year." called out Mei

"Ooh, I remember that!" says Lena. "That was the fight of the century. Hanzo's face was just a bloody mess! Ay, Jesse, what did he even say to you?"

"Wasn't talkin' to me. He was talkin' about my friends. Damn fool should've kept his mouth shut," says Jesse

"And now you're banned from the Shimada Family Estate," Genji reminded him with an eyeroll

Jesse winked at the green haired boy and gave him a smile. "Worth it."

 

It was around 5:30 when Mei announced that they were closing soon for the children's skating lessons. Couples, teens, and adults with their children started filing out little by little. Zenyatta gave a quick goodbye and a fast apology to Mei for tardiness before running back to the yoga studio, not noticing Jesse's eye roll. Genji and Lena had to put away their homework and put on their instructor uniforms, which was the employee tshirt and black leggings with gold accents on the sides. Genji always tried to take the leggings for himself but Mei had to stop him every time.

Mei packed up her belongings at the receptionist desk and moved over to Jesse's station for more company. Sitting at the front desk away from everyone for hours got lonely at times. Despite working on her projects, being around someone felt good enough. She sat on the counter and started on her AP Physics homework. Genji and Lena began their lesson on basic skills on ice while Jesse just sat at the counter looking on. As the mothers sat on their phones or chatting among themselves, their kids were falling down and crying or trying their best to balance themselves. There was one boy who was managing to do better than every other kid there, balancing perfectly on the ice and not falling down once. It was a first in the classes. Something about his pale skin and black hair looked familiar to Mei but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"He's pretty good, right?" asked Jesse

Mei nodded. "He's better than a lot of younger skaters I've seen before. Probably was trained before."

The cowboy nudged the genius next to him. "If your family has a chain of ice skating rinks, how come you don't skate?"

Mei shrugged and pushed her glasses back up. "I was more interested in weather patterns and the ecosystem when I was younger. My parents liked ice skating but I just liked the weather. This kind of life wasn't for me."

"Do you ever think you will skate sometime?"

"I don't think so. It's not my style." She closed up her book and checked the time. Twenty minutes had passed and the kids were finally learning how stand on ice without slipping. A break from homework was well deserved. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"That girl from gym class…"

Jesse tensed up immediately and Mei could feel it. He moved away from the genius and moved his attention back on Genji. "Can we not bring that up right now?" he mumbled

"She had Amélie's bracelet."

"And?"

"Is that why you talked to her?"

The cowboy sighed. Jesse McCree has had enough in the loss department. Talking about it made it even worse. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does. I know what you're feeling. You still aren't over what happened at graduation and it's okay. But you should really try and talk to us or even her."

"What d'ya think I've been tryin' to do, huh? Amélie hasn't spoken to any of us. She barely goes to college now. Y'know what I here all the time? All these rumors say the same thing. She's always hangs around the shady bits of town with her new friends or she's off at Ecopoint hangin' with some bad guys. I've been tryin' to speak to her ever since graduation but she jus' shut down. She's gone," Jesse whispered angrily. "That's why I've been talkin' to that girl recently."

"To find out where she is?"

"Exactly. And that girl just gave me nothin' but loose ends. Typical." The southerner sighed and took off his hat, fixing his hair a bit. Genji caught his eye and gave him a wave. Jesse returned it with a forced smile before putting his hat back on. 

"I just miss her, Mei. We were like the three musketeers before Lena and Genji came along. Losin' Gerard was bad enough. Now Amélie dropped off the damn planet and Angie won't even talk to us anymore. A simple call or text would be nice. A damn postcard would even be good enough! I'm tired of losin' people. I just want the group back to how it was. When we all lively and happy. I miss the 3 am diner rushes and the movie nights at Gerard's. Is that too much to ask for?"

Mei let out a big sigh. Jesse was right. He was the closest to Amélie and was even the first person she called on her way to the hospital. Ever since the crash, the group wasn't the same. When they visited her in the hospital, she was covered head to toe in bruises and cuts. She was lucky enough to survive with a broken arm and two cracked ribs. Gerard was a different story. Hearing the news of him passing affected the group differently. Gerard was a father figure type of guy for everyone. Jesse and Genji couldn't leave each other's side for a while. Lena and Mei wouldn't stop crying for days and The Blizzard had to close for a week. Amélie completely shut down and wouldn't say a word to anyone. She believed it was all her fault. The guilt ate her alive.

But the past couldn't be changed. They all went to the funeral. They all made their speeches. They all tried to move past it. The best they could do now was just move on.

All these memories resurfacing hit Mei fast and hard. She felt the urge to cry into Jesse's shoulder. Desperately trying to change the topic, she tried to bring positivity to the subject. "Hey, remember to help me set up the DJ set tomorrow, okay? Lucio is coming back Friday morning."

The southerner gave a small grin and turned his attention back to Genji. "At least someone decided to keep in touch. I'm kinda excited for his new album."

Before she could even respond, the front door to The Blizzard opened, bringing in colder air from outside. The instructors gave Jesse and Mei a puzzled look and they received the same one back. Mei tossed her AP Physics book to the side and hopped off the counter to investigate who came in.

"Be careful, love! Do you wanna use my bag as protection? If those binders can kill my back, they can- ” began Lena

"Don't," warned Genji. He looked up ahead. "It's just some girl. Probably forgot it's Wednesday today."

She turned her head around the corner and saw Genji was right. It was a dark skinned girl, much taller than Mei was. Her jacket went down to her knees and was the color of the afternoon sky. The mystery girl took the clip out of her hair and let the strands cascade down her shoulders. She had a gym bag of her own and it was even bulkier than Mei's jacket. Her long nails were tapping the desk rapidly but it was unknown whether it was due to nerves or annoyance. Her black heels were sleek and expensive looking. Mei felt the same sense of familiarity again. There was something about this mystery girl that the ice rink owner couldn't put her finger on. It was going to bother her all night.

Every step Mei took to the desk, she saw something from the girl she hadn't noticed before. Her black hair was long and shiny, cut perfectly and leaving no strand out. Her nails were painted an electric blue, a color that stood out so perfectly on her skin. The genius wasn't sure if the look on the mystery girl's face was full of worry or boredom but there was definitely a hint of both there. Mei wasn't even sure if her own red face was due to embarrassment or an entirely different thing. It was cold in the building but it couldn't have been that cold. The woman looked off to the outside, watching for something Mei couldn't see. She felt so out of place in the middle of a mediocre ice skating rink, but in a good way. She looked too stunning to touch.

Somehow, the rink owner managed to find her voice. "C-can I help you?"

The mystery girl turned to the side and watched Mei get into the receptionist desk. "Yes, I would like to know if I'm allowed to skate here at these hours."

Mei shot her an incredulous look. "Right now?" Did she not see the mothers sitting outside the rink? Or the kids skating on it? "Sorry, but the children's skating lessons go on from 6:00 to 7:30 at night."

"Then what about afterwards?"

"We close around that time on weekdays to properly Zamboni the ice and then lock up. Sorry about that."

The mystery girl looked annoyed at the current issue in her schedule. "What other days do you have off?"

Mei was baffled. They had their schedule on their door in large print for everyone to see. She checked her planner just in case but it was still empty. "Did you check the door by any chance?"

"I meant after hours."

"Depends on what you need to stay here for."

"Are you the manager here?"

Mei felt nervous. Was she being rude? She didn't want to come off extremely annoyed or sassy to the girl. If anything, she's just trying to be informative. It was probably more annoying that the rink owner kept saying sorry after most of her sentences. "I'm actually one of the owners here. "

The mystery girl huffed. "My name is Satya Vaswani. I'm a competitive figure skater. I'm sure you've heard about the Ecopoint rink blowing up?"

The ice rink at Ecopoint just a town over blew up two months ago. No one really knew the cause but as long as there were no casualties, people didn't really care. It meant more business for The Blizzard, according to Genji, but less downtime, according to Mei. However, there was a little feeling in the back of Mei's head she knew exactly who played with explosives over there.

"Yes, I have. Tragic thing."

"Precisely. After that dilemma, I needed something fast. My coach and I are looking for rinks to skate at during this time and we thought this would be the best option since it is near where I reside." Satya began to look around the room. "It's not… ideal for me but neither was Ecopoint. You're probably much better. And cleaner." She focused her attention back at Mei, making the younger girl red again. "Do you have any days available for us?"

The rink owner was a bit overwhelmed. First, the mystery girl had a name and it sounded amazing. It fit the graceful girl in front of the counter. Second, she was talking face to face with someone who has probably won championships and received fame and glory for years. Mei felt like a piece of coal while Satya reminded her of a diamond. It felt so sudden to be thrusted into this situation without someone like her dad or Mr. Reyes helping her. Publicity would be great but what about business? Closing up early every day meant less money for her family but who knows how much Satya paid? Were free trials even a thing with ice skaters? She's dealt with her high school hockey team but never a real award winning athlete. 

"Um, w-we could possibly schedule you in for tomorrow if you really need the ice?" Mei stammered

Satya nodded. "That would be fine, thank you. A nice warm up to this establishment would be fitting. My family will send you your pay after every lesson."

"Trust me, I don't think you'll be warm here," Mei joked, making the skater smirk. "Would you want your coach to come talk to me as well to figure out everything?"

"Nonsense. I can handle myself just fine. Besides, he's still trying to find parking here. The snow is appalling these days."

Mei laughed. "Why do you think we're called The Blizzard?"

Satya gave a small grin. "At least you have a name. Ecopoint didn't even bother."

"We try our best."

The girls gave a small laugh and it was a good way to ease the tension. The younger girl noticed the skater would cover her mouth every time she laughed, as if she was trying to hide herself. She didn't know why. Satya had a very pretty smile. It was one of the warmest things in this cold place. Warmer than her coat even.

The skater shook her head and tried to regain her professional attitude. "I'm sorry, I've been demanding to use your establishment when I do not even know your name."

Mei quickly shook her head. "Nononono, it's totally fine," she said, giving off a nervous chuckle. "I'm Mei-Ling Zhou. It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Vaswani."

Satya extended her hand out for Mei to shake. "Well, Ms. Zhou-"

Mei shook her hand. "Mei, please."

The skater tried again. "Well, Mei, it was nice to meet you. My coach will be in contact with you very soon. Do you have a preferred time I should come?"

"Around 7:30 if that's fine."

Satya nodded and buttoned up her coat. "Thank you for your time. I expect a good first impression from this place." She puts her hair up neatly and secures it with a clip. "It would be a disappointment if both expectations are not reached." She gives a slight nod and takes a business card from the desk, not noticing Mei's face devoid of color. "I will see you tomorrow at our time. Have a good night, Mei."

"Good night, Ms. Vaswani."

The skater leaves the building and enters the cold weather of their town. Snowflakes were sticking to her shiny black hair as she looked around for her coach's car. She waved her hand around to someone in the distance and a black car hurriedly sped up to the door. It looked sleek and fancy, something that seemed Satya-like. Before Mei could even stick her head over the counter and try to see her coach's face, the car sped off into the distance. The good moment was gone just as soon as it came. Mei sighed heavily. The phrase "both our expectations" rang in her head. Satya was one of the big-timers and a bad day for her meant bad business for The Blizzard. Today was just going back and forth between good and bad.

Jesse came over to the counter. "I'm gonna start the Zamboni up if that's okay."

Mei nodded and closed her planner. "That's fine. The lesson is over in a few anyways right?"

"Three minutes," Jesse informed her. They walked back to the rink together. "You got a ride home or should I tell my mom to drive you too?"

"Lena's parents are driving me. I'll be fine. Tell Ana I said hi."

The kids were starting to pack up as Lena and Genji got off the ice to change. Mei collected all her schoolbooks and managed them in a neat manner as Jesse collected all the ice skates. The instructors were sweaty and tired and the one thing on everyone's mind was taking a long, hard earned nap. Today was exhausting for everyone. As the kids filed out and Lena began to Zamboni the ice, Jesse debated on skipping school tomorrow to collect his own emotions and take a break.

"Don't even! You need to finish the mile and get Bayless off your ass," lectured Genji

"But detention with Reyes and the mile? I'd rather just skip the mornin' and come in the afternoon," whined Jesse

"Oi, it's just running! Get over it!" yelled Lena from the ice

Jesse groaned. "You do track! Let me live!"

Genji gave a small chuckle and searched his pockets for some change. "Mei, do you have a quarter? I'm kinda hungry."

She didn't bother looking up from paperwork as she tossed him a quarter from her pocket. "Be careful with Bastion, alright?"

Jesse took a look at the vending machine. "When are ya gonna throw this guy away? He's all beat up, anyways," he said.

"He's been there since the opening! I can't bare to part with him! I named him!" she exclaimed.

The cowboy gave a small laugh and looked out the door. "Oh, Mei, who was the girl at the counter? Did she forget the hours or somethin'?" he asked

Mei stopped her work and remembered the diamond she spoke to. Her shiny hair and her warm laugh. The ice rink owner felt embarrassed just thinking about her like that. Satya was out of her league by 100%. Once again, she remembered she was the coal. "Oh, uh, she was a competitive skater. Wanted to use the ice for practicing."

Genji sat next to Jesse and opened his bag of chips. "That's great! What did you say?"

Mei packed up the paperwork and grabbed her bag. "I told her she could come by tomorrow and see how she likes it. I'll be closing around 6:45 so we have enough time to pack up and you guys can leave."

Genji raised an eyebrow. "We can leave early for once? What's the catch?"

"There's no catch! I-I just wanna make sure she trusts me. I might see her every day if this goes through."

Genji gave a small chuckle as he swallowed another chip. "Big money, huh? Well, if you ever need tips on how to flirt then you know who to go to," he said. A luxurious silver car parked in front of the building was illuminated by the street lamps outside. Genji sighed. "Great, Hanzo's here. See you guys tomorrow."

Everyone, even Lena in the back putting away the Zamboni, called out their goodbyes to Genji as he disappeared into the night. The place only felt more large to everyone the less people there were. Lena took off her employee shirt and tossed it into her locker before coming back to the group.

"So what's this I hear about a skater?" she asked

Mei gave her a small smile. "It's nothing. She's just coming here to see if we're suitable for her."

Jesse snorted as a blue minivan came into view. "Suitable? High standards, much?" He stood up and walked towards the door. "Ana's here. I'll see y'all tomorrow."

The girls said their goodbyes as they waited for their ride. Lena turned back to the genius. "Jesse seems right. Seems like high standards. You sure you don't want me to stay tomorrow, love?"

Mei shook her head. "Nothing wrong with high standards. She has a high opinion of herself and she probably earned it. I'll be fine."

She locked up as Lena's parents drove into the parking lot. The air became even more cold. The snow wouldn't stop coming down. Everyone kept saying how school would probably be canceled tomorrow morning. Lena wanted to go snow tubing down in the good areas of Ecopoint if the roads weren't that bad. Jesse wanted to have a movie marathon at his house with hot chocolate and blanket forts. Fareeha and Hana were even invited if things go well. Mei and Genji just wanted to take a nap. It's too cold for anything at the moment. Plans would have to wait until the springtime.

Mei left her coat and bag in her living room, too tired to bring it back upstairs. It was only 8:30 at night but the girl was exhausted. Too much AP homework that needed to be done, too much paperwork for The Blizzard to expand, too much emotion that she felt. So little time to do anything else. Tubing and blanket forts had to wait for a while. She felt like an overworked mess. She's amazed an introvert like herself has been this social lately. She deserved a long needed break.

It felt like a cycle to her now. 6 AM wake up call, go to school, go to work, go to bed. She wondered if this was going to be her life forever. A life of skating but never touching the ice. 

It would be awfully cold.

Before she could fall into a deep sleep, she thought of Satya. Those deep amber eyes were always going to stay in the back of Mei's head. The skater's shiny black hair and how perfectly neat it look made her seem more older and mature. Her hands and how the electric blue nail polish made her seem more vibrant was amazing. Even the way she walked seemed graceful. She was so different from Mei, so elegant and perfect. Once again, she felt like coal compared to a diamond.

The genius felt flustered. It hasn't even been a day and the crush was already messing with her head. 

She's cute, Mei thought. Very cute. How many times could she repeat it to herself? Her eyes were wide open now, debating on whether she liked the skater or whether she wanted to be as graceful and elegant as her. What did Satya think of her as? A potential business partner or the flustered girl she had to deal with?

It's been a solid hour and yet its been bothering her all night. She rolled over and held her stuffed penguin tighter. Jesse's words kept repeating in her head.

"Sounds like a girl with high standards."

Well, she'd just have to meet them somehow.


	2. Sweeter than Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just rly love ice skating
> 
> also thank you to everyone who read the first chapter :^) you guys are hella

"You met Satya Vaswani?!"

It was Thursday afternoon in Overwatch High school. The cafeteria had it’s heater broken so Mei decided to visit Gabriel Reyes, the JROTC teacher and a father figure to her, for lunch instead. He stared at her in shock and wonder as she told him of what happened last night between her and the competitive figure skater. The two sat on top of the desks eating their lunches, too lazy to even bother grabbing chairs. Mei left out details about how she really thought about the girl personally, deciding that’s a conversation for another time. However, she continued to talk about the business deal as she ate her cup of noodles.

"Wait, you know her?" she asked him in disbelief.

The look of shock immediately left his face. "No, I was kidding," he says as he took another bite of his meatball sub. "Who the hell follows competitive figure skating?"

Mei gave him an annoyed look. "Lots of people do."

"It's like golf. It's boring and all you gotta do is look fancy then you have thousands of dollars in your pockets"

"Reyes, this is serious!” Mei exclaimed, feeling like she was going to lose it. “What am I gonna do?"

Gabriel shrugged. "What do you want me to do? I'm not the owner of the place. That’s all you and your father. I warned him not to go along with this but no one ever listens.” He took a quick sip of his iced tea. "Congrats, kid. This is all on you. I’d call him and tell him the good news though. Good business deals are always celebratory."

"What if she doesn't stay? What if Satya finds a better rink to go to?"

"Then she'll win the Olympics from practicing on Ecopoint’s ashes,” he replied with an eye roll. “Trust me, you'll do fine and I'm sure of it. If it's a shitty first meeting, then make sure it's not shitty enough to spread gossip around. If she likes you, then you’ll be set for life. Those athletes always have a bunch on money in their pockets and for once I don’t need to help out your dad."

It was Mei's turn for eye rolling. "Great advice, sir. Shouldn’t you be a normal teacher and give me actual advice?”

He gave her a big grin. "Tough love. You know I care about ya, kid. I'm just being honest. But seriously, trust me. She'll like The Blizzard. There's nothing to hate about it." 

Mei looked unsure. "You think?"

"I know." He looked in his lunchbox. "Shit. I forgot my dessert at home. You mind if I head to the office for a bit to snag Ana's cookies? You can come if you’d like.”

"I can buy some from the cafeteria if you want," offered Mei.

"Don't bother. Save your cash. Nothing beats the Amari's baking. Even Fareeha's are getting pretty good." He stands up and dusts off any crumbs on his lap. A sigh comes out his mouth. “Look, I know I can come off a bit rude sometimes but I do care about you. If anything or anyone else troubles you or the deal goes south then shoot me a text. I'll help you out, okay?"

Mei nodded and began to pack up her lunch with a big smile on her face. Despite his tough and blunt attitude towards mostly everyone else at the school, Gabriel was still a sweetheart to her. She hops off the desk and waits for him to pack up before they walk out the classroom for more food. The hallways were freezing cold and Mei debated on hanging back in the warm classroom until Reyes came back. It's a long walk from the JROTC room to the office due to being all the way across the school but she could manage. Eighth period would begin in twenty minutes so both of them had time to kill before their lunch breaks were completely over. It's been forever since they've spoken anyways. The new year always punished them both with work. A good catch up session was needed.

"Oh, Reyes, Jesse needs to stay after school today for gym. Do you mind coming in today for the receptionist desk?" she asked.

He groaned. " _Dios mío_. Kid, I love you and everything but you gotta knock some sense into him. He's killing me here."

"I'm sorry, sir. I know how you feel sometimes."

Both walked down the English hallway, stomachs growling just the slightest bit. They weren't too far from the office. Reyes hoped Morrison didn’t take all of the cookies. "The detention was bad enough today. How long can that damn kid whistle the same song from that Deadlock band?"

"You'd be surprised."

Gabriel groaned. "Get him on his feet. You kids are seniors now. This skipping class shit is typical of first years, not you guys. Especially for him." He opens the door and writes in name on the sign in sheet, saying hello to his coworkers while he's there. "When he comes into work, he better give me a hand with my papers," he said jokingly

A small smile played on her face. "I'll make sure of it."

 

Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen in total.

All the bills were counted for the second time in a row and were folded up into Sombra's hands. The girl took a deep breath before walking over to her business partner. The woman was tall and slightly muscular with short black hair. She used to her phone to fix some out of place strands at her locker, not noticing the hacker was only a few feet away watching her. Sombra sighed. Finding her was a hard task, as she never came inside the high school. The most she'd ever do was hang around the track and bleachers and smoke with old friends while telling stories. But she knew that despite the risk of getting caught and getting lost with no back doors, Sombra was the only one able to follow the rules according to plan. She hoped that this deal had better be worth it.

She tapped the shoulder of her business partner at her locker and handed the money over. "That's all of it. Fifteen dollars exactly."

A shrug was received. "Would've preferred them in fives but singles will have to do." The partner moved aside some books and pulled out a small paper bag and a pen. "Fifteen sugar cookies in total. What was the name of your friend again?"

She didn’t expect that. Gotta think fast. "Emma."

A nod. Her pen scribbled in messy handwriting 'To Emma' on the bag. "Hope it's not too bad. Everyone always says my writing is nearly illegible."

Sombra shook her head and looked around. She's been here too long. Some teacher could notice her. That coach from yesterday could notice her. And yesterday was bad enough. Being at Overwatch High School for more than a day was her deal breaker to her employer. Those cookies had better been worth it.

"So are these really for you or for your friend?" the partner asked jokingly

Sombra snorted. "Please. You guys are way too pricy for me. A dollar for each cookie is a bit much, don't ya think?"

The taller girl delicately put the bag in Sombra's hands. "I guess, but who else is gonna pay my tuition?"

"Sure as hell won't be me, Miss…" she trailed off, not knowing the girl's name.

"Fareeha. Fareeha Amari," the taller girl informed the hacker. "Surprised you didn't know me from my mother. You new here?"

Sombra had to stop herself before she could respond. Revealing more about herself was never a part of her plans. "Nah, I graduated last year. Decided to pick these up for a friend of mine," she lied.

Fareeha smiled and shut her locker. "Yeah, my mom and I used to sell those in the cafe for the past four years. Ever since this year started up, we've been so distracted with college and work that we didn't have enough time to bake everyday. Selling some sweets every once in awhile is a lot less stress for the soul."

Sombra raised an eyebrow at her. It took everything within her to not eyeroll at the goody two-shoes girl in front of her. She was one-hundred percent sure her partner didn't know a thing about stress. She considered laughing in Fareeha's face once again but decided against it. Yes, she was giving the money and receiving the goods, but this wasn't about her. A constant reminder for that was good for her own sake.

"Fareeha!" a voice yelled out from the distance

The hacker didn't have to turn to see who it was before she already felt her stomach flip. Saying the name "Jesse McCree" was becoming an annoyance to her already. Two weeks of grabbing onto her legs and begging her for information was getting so tiresome already. Sure, she loved the free cigarettes and new company that weren't the freaks from the gang, but it didn't mean she wanted to see him for the rest of her life. Giving him loose ends was supposed to be a joke. Now, it became a way to see if he was really that desperate to find Amélie. As soon as he came over and he saw the slightest bit of purple hair peeking out from under her hood, it was going to be hell for her. She loved Amélie, but her posse was an annoyance for her.

The hacker gripped the bag and patted Fareeha on the shoulder quickly. "Thanks for the cookies, _chica_. I'll make sure to call you if we still wanna do business, alright?"

She began to quickly walk away without bothering to listen to Fareeha. "But I don't even have your-"

Sombra waved her hand at her, motioning an end to their conversation. " _"_

Before she could make any other comments to the girl, Sombra walked down the hall as fast as she could, trying to avoid all cameras on the ceiling and bumping into strangers she didn't want to see. Her first ten minutes inside the school made her uncomfortable and finding an exit now made her feel too uneasy. There was no back door for her to go through. This high school was too big her liking and had one too many cameras and shady people looking to get someone in a sticky situation with the principal. The last thing she needed was getting into trouble because of expensive sugar cookies in a bag with the wrong name on it. All she wanted was to leave before she got an even worse headache.

The hacker followed some girls out onto the track and made her escape that way. She shivered, cursing herself for forgetting to bring an actual jacket with her. Her fingers felt like icicles and her ears felt on fire. November only got colder as the day went on and her thin pastel pink hoodie wasn't going to do much for her. It was a long way back to where she parked her car. She took out her phone, eager to pass the time while she moved away from the teens on the track again. Just as she took it out, the phone vibrated, showing the message on the her home screen.

**Amélie** : did you get out yet?

She rolled her eyes and responded.

**Sombra** : i felt like i was gonna explode here dude. that jesse guy nearly saw me and i would've been done

**Sombra** : these cookies better be worth it

A few seconds later, another message from her friend.

**Amélie** : i'm sorry. come over, i'll explain it

**Amélie** : it sounds stupid, i know

**Sombra** : see you at three? 

No response yet. Sombra ran out of the parking lot to the mini-mart across the street where she parked. Her hands felt like they were on fire. She made a note to herself to invest in some gloves and a proper scarf the next time she got paid. The heat was blasted in her car in an attempt to try and heat herself up before she could jet and do some errands. There was no way in hell she'd let her friend tell her a story without some wine in her hands. Ecopoint wasn’t a long drive from the high school. Maybe half an hour or so. Her broken car drove out of the mini-mart and onto the road, eager to get to Ecopoint's wine shop.

Her phone vibrated once again. She waited until she was at a red light to read the message.

**Amélie** : tonight. 8 pm. don’t you dare be a second late.

 

Jesse knew that Genji had a free ninth period on Thursdays instead of Gym and it became a little thing of theirs to hang out together before they had to find Mei and Lena for work. Trying to actually find what room he stayed in for the day was always his biggest problem. The cowboy wandered through the halls with a pass in his hand trying to find a certain boy with green hair. He texted him asking for the room number but he didn't even think Genji decided on a room yet. That boy couldn't stay in one spot for more than two minutes. It was a miracle Genji even stayed in his seat during classes. The boy was too fussy, always on the move.

After avoiding some scary hall monitors and yelling at the younger Shimada brother over text, Jesse finally found Genji walking inside one of the Economics classrooms. Jesse ran over and tapped him on the shoulder, giving a surprised Genji a huge grin as they walked in together. They both didn't bother saying hi to the teacher working on his desk.

"Why'd you come here?" Jesse asked as they walked towards the back.

Genji shrugged and sat down. "Needed somewhere to go. That Aleksandra girl in my study hall was having a push up contest with Fareeha and I got bored really fast. Might as well come here to do my homework."

"McCree!" the teacher said from his desk. "No hats in school, remember?"

With a pout, Jesse took off his hat and laid it down on the desk. "You're killin' me here, sir."

Genji grinned as he started to work on his English essay. "You get told this every day. How have you not listened by now?"

The teacher shifted his focus on the other boy. "Oh, you're Hanzo's brother, right? Genji, was it?"

The grin dropped at the mention of his brother. The mood immediately shifted "Yes. Why?"

"How's the guy doing? He was the best in my class, actually. I even wrote his recommendation letter!"

If looks could kill, the Economics teacher would be long gone by now. "He's fine. He's at Watchpoint now."

"What's he majoring in?"

"Don't know," he said, focusing back on his essay. "Don't care."

Jesse looked back at the teacher who looked a bit surprised at the sudden hostility. "We'll make sure to tell him you asked for him, sir!"

The teacher nodded his head and went back to his own work, looking a bit offended. Jesse sighed and blew a strand of hair out of his face. Hanzo was a bit of a touchy topic for the younger Shimada brother. The two would always fight so much at home and the bickering often made it's way to the hallways at school. No one really understood the hatred between them and Genji never really bothered to explain it to anyone. It was clearly personal to him and certainly a bother to deal with. It always intrigued Jesse and he wanted to figure out what was really going on between the siblings.

"Hey," he whispered. "You okay?"

"Fine," Genji replied. "Peachy. Absolutely fantastic."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"You wanna help me write this essay?"

"I'm serious," Jesse said. "Essays on bullshit symbolism can wait. How are you right now?"

Genji looked up at him for a few seconds then continued writing. "How am I supposed to know what the perfect Hanzo Shimada is doing in his life 24/7? I'm not his mother and I'm certainly not a lost dog following him. We’re grown men. We can have different lives.”

"He only assumed because you’re-"

"Brothers? Please, Jesse, he doesn't even come close to one."

The cowboy watched his crush as continued onto his next paragraph. "Y'know, siblings fight all the time. I fight with Fareeha every once in awhile, but you guys are completely different."

"We're different because we're actually blood related,” he spat. It took a moment of realization to hit both boys the words that were just said. Genji felt the color drain from his face as soon as he said those words. He immediately stopped writing and looked up to his friend. "Sorry. That came out so wrong. I didn't mean it like that, I promise."

Jesse simply raised an eyebrow at him. He was hurt but he shrugged it off his shoulders. "I know what you meant. You get so snippy once I mention your brother. No offense taken."

The green haired boy relaxed. "Thanks. Sorry." He abandoned his paper and faced Jesse. "It's just hard being around him."

"What do you mean?"

"There's always something he doesn't like about me. He's so condescending towards me. Telling me that I'm not good enough for Shimada standards or I'm not doing much with my future. And sometimes, he's right. I don't want to be a lawyer like him or my father or be a politician like my mother. I don't want to defend awful people and their heinous crimes. I don't want to lie and cheat my way into the system. He wants me to be someone I'm not and I don't want to take that. I want to be myself."

Jesse didn't realize how much Genji felt towards his family. It wasn’t often he saw this side of the green haired boy. "Then why don't you?"

"It's not that easy, Jesse," reminded Genji. "They're all I have. Yeah, Hanzo's a pain in the ass but he's still my brother. I still care about him."

A silence made its way between the boys. The cowboy didn't know what to say. He could've told the younger Shimada that he was wrong or that he could go against his family, but what good would that do? It was nice to hear but it wouldn't do much for them.

Genji reached over and gently touched Jesse's arm. "I never thanked you for last year."

With a blush on his face, Jesse asked, "What happened last year?"

"The rink incident? With Hanzo and I? I'm glad you stepped in and said something to him."

Jesse rubbed his knuckles as flashbacks from last year came to him. "Maybe punchin' him was a bit overboard. Didn't know he could fight back that well, either."

Genji chuckled. "We learned how to fight when we were young. It made sense that you both would have bloody noses and busted lips."

A comfortable silence fell between the two. The teacher left the room to head the the copier, leaving the two alone. Genji's retracted his hand from the cowboy's tanned arm and left himself in his thoughts. The period was about to be over and work would have to start. It was going to be a quiet day without a certain someone trying to play their music on the speakers. He hoped the mile wouldn't take that long. Lena was his best friend and best skate partner but he still felt the rink was empty without Jesse.

"You know what I want to do when I graduate?" he asked in a whisper.

Jesse looked intrigued. "What is it?"

"I want to travel. I want to visit every single place in the world. I want to be the annoying tourist in England. I want to watch the animals in Africa. I want to watch the monks in Nepal. Maybe even going back to Japan for my relatives would be a good idea. I just want to get out, Jesse. And I want you to come see me someday."

The green haired boy stood up and grabbed his papers as the bell rang while Jesse was fumbling to get up. "Where are you gonna go?" he asked as his crush was going out the door.

"You'll find me. I know you can."

 

The Blizzard was going along well for the night. Nothing too extravagant happened except for Genji yelled at Lena to get off the ice and finish her Geometry homework. Gabriel sat with Jesse at his station handing out skates to people while finishing up the last of his paperwork. Every so often Jesse would try and convince his teacher to leave so the cowboy wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness but Reyes wouldn't budge. It’s like he wanted to annoy the kid. Sometimes, Mei would leave her station every now and then to fix some mistakes on the tests or to annoy Jesse. Watching the look of despair on his face as Reyes asked him about Color Guard was priceless.

"I hope you learned your lesson," she said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already," he grumbled.

Back at the receptionist desk, the rink owner continued working on her college essays to pass the time during customers coming in and out of the building. It was getting quieter and quieter as time when on, despite Lúcio's album playing loudly on the speakers and the growing number of people. She'd occasionally hear Lena falling in the background and the sound of Genji's laughter filling up the room but it was eventually fading in the distance. She began to sink herself back into her own thoughts without realizing it. The first thing she thought of was tonight and her mission to keep Satya impressed. No pressure there for her, obviously. It was all about standards tonight. The coal and the diamond were back at it again at the rink and the determination was on.

It was only twenty minutes before Satya and her coach would show up to The Blizzard. Mei quickly announced that they were closing early and began to pack up her items, eager to finally get the night started. She took off her uniform, shoved it on her bag and waited by the receptionist desk for the luxurious black car to drive by once again. Lena began snickering at her but was quickly shooed away back into the changing rooms. Gabriel was getting his coat on when he noticed the girl was tapping her foot and looking anxiously at the door. He felt a bit unsure of leaving her by herself like this.

"You're positive you can handle this?" he asked her.

She still never broke her concentration from the door. "I'll be fine, I promise. If not, I'll give you a call, okay?"

He nodded to her, trying to push away the hesitant feeling away. After a quick hug and a few more questions, he was off to his car and headed away from The Blizzard. After him, Lena and Jesse were next, leaving Mei with a nosy Genji who begged her to stay a little longer before shoving him to Hanzo's car outside. Two minutes before Satya would arrive and the rink owner double checked everything. Ice was properly zambonied, the floors were clean, and the receptionist desk was neat and tidy. The only thing she felt uneasy about was her broken vending machine in the common area. She hoped they didn’t notice her little Bastion desperately keeping himself together. It was a long story that Mei didn’t feel like explaining to them. 

An engine came to a halt outside and Mei nearly gave herself whiplash turning around. The same car from last night was parked right outside the building, nearly on the sidewalk. Satya stepped out of the car in the same unbuttoned coat as yesterday. She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder with ease and made her way to the door. Her coach, also carrying a duffel bag, covered his mouth with his scarf, looking stiff and rigid. He acting as if would die at any second from the cold with every shiver. He seemed like he wasn’t used to the town’s cold while Satya went without a hat or a scarf, giving little care to the wind outside.

Her coach followed behind her as she open the door. Satya gave the anxious girl a small smile. “Greetings, Ms. Zhou. I take it that everything is prepared accordingly?”

Mei nodded. “I-I zambonied the ice before you came so I’m sure that everything is going well. Do you need skates?”

The skater shook her head and walked past her, handing her the coat. “No need. I am already prepared.”

She set her bag down on the bench and began to put on her skates, ignoring the rink owner completely. Mei felt a pang of disappointment within her but tried to brush it off and pay no attention to it. She slowly walked over to Satya and tried thinking of what to say to her. Should she mention the weather? Or her pay? Or the fact that she spent all night looking up the difference between an Axel and a Salchow just for her? Thinking about if they had anything in common was terrifying.

A tap on her shoulder took her out of her thoughts. She turned to find Satya’s coach standing behind her with his hand extended out to her. “I’m Liao, her coach. Nice to meet you, Ms. Zhou.”

“Mei, if you will,” she responded, shaking his hand. They walked towards the rink together. “Formalities are more for my father.”

He watched as Satya moved herself onto the ice. “Is he the original owner of the rink?”

Mei nodded. “He’s currently on a trip to upstate New York. The Blizzard is slowly expanding outside our little town.”

“I hope nothing can beat the original,” said Satya, making her way to the center of the rink. “Do you have the music?”

“The music?” asked Mei in a panicked tone. She didn’t know she had to supply the music as well as the rink. All she had was the top 40 playlist she kept for the rink and some of Lúcio’s albums. She doubted there was anything Satya could use.

Coach Liao nodded and opened his bag to reveal a small radio and a colorful CD case. The rink owner breathed a sigh of relief, worried she might have already failed the first day. Satya began to wander around the rink, testing the ice as if it would break underneath her while Liao set everything up. Mei, feeling a bit awkward, decided to take her spot sitting on the counter of Jesse’s station to avoid interrupting anything. As she said before, a life on the ice was never for her. A life watching the ice was more her style. Maybe doing some homework or reading while they practiced would make her feel useful. It wasn’t like Satya was actually paying attention to anything but her routine.

“Ready?” Liao asked.

Satya skated her way back to the center. “Affirmative.”

He pressed play and the music began to fill the arena. It started off quiet and slow, fitting the gracefulness of the skater. She spun and swayed her arms to the music, losing herself to the beat. The sounds of skates gliding against the ice pierced the air. The song began to get more and more upbeat with every spin and jump. Mei held her breath after every Axel or toe loop, as if a professional like Satya would fall and shatter on the ice. She didn’t understand why the skater would stop her routine for spins but she figured it was needed. The music sounded like it had Bollywood influences in the beat, sounding so new and refreshing to Mei. It was different than the songs she heard from the Winter Olympics. It really fit the girl well.

As the routine went on, Mei felt her face growing more red. Who knew figure skating could be so beautiful? Satya was so agile and elegant with every move she performed. The skater looked so delicate and gorgeous on the ice. Mei noticed how focused and determined Satya looked during her performance. Sweat was beading up on her forehead and the song felt never ending. Mei wasn’t sure she ever wanted the song to end. She could watch Satya for hours and hours and never get bored. It was different from seeing a performance on television. The routine felt personal to Mei and probably to Satya as well. She could feel it in every twirl and she could see it in her amber eyes.

The song came to an end and Satya stood in a pose. She looked as if she was bowing to the audience for watching her performance. Silence filled the air for a few moments while Liao pondered what to say next. Without thinking, Mei began to clap for the girl. She couldn’t help herself and didn’t bother to restrain her excitement and admiration, nor the grin on her face. It shocked Liao and mainly Satya who jumped back, not used to an audience of one or at least Mei. They both turned to look at back at her with confusion on their eyes.

“That was amazing, Satya! That was beautiful! The routine was flawless!” she exclaimed.

Satya skated over to Liao, feeling shy all of a sudden. “T-thank you? It’s very kind of you to say that, but we have a lot of work to do. The routine was far from flawless.”

Mei’s grin faltered. “What do you mean?”

Liao sighed. “She’s just being hard on herself,” he explained to her before turning back to the older girl. “You’re doing well so far. The program really suits you. I’d recommend not being so stiff on your jumps. It’s probably the reason why your rotations aren’t as well as before.”

“I doubt fixing the rotations are going to help me achieve gold at the Grand Prix Final or at the Four Continents Championships,” Satya retorted as she took a lap around the ice. “I have a number of things to work on, Coach Liao. The Rostelecom Cup depends on it”

“Satya, you did great,” Mei informed her. “There’s no need to beat yourself up over the little things. Sometimes, you gotta let it go and move on.”

The coach nodded. “Look at you. You did fine at Skate America last year and you made it to the podium. With this routine, you did great at Skate Canada.” 

“I took third at Skate Canada,” an irritated Satya responded turning around so she wouldn't face him. “Obviously, I need to wake up and start over.”

Liao sighed. “You know, between Skate Canada and now, you’ve been a bit off recently, kid.”

She nodded. “I know. But it doesn’t matter right now. I apologize for my reckless skating in Canada but I should've practiced better." She skated back to the center. “Shall we try again?”

Liao nodded. “Let’s work on the short program routine.”

Satya turned over to Mei. “You might want to sit back down again. This performance is exquisite.”

The music started up and Mei sat right back down. She lost count of how many times she smiled because of Satya that night.

 

“You did amazing, Satya, really! Those jumps were fantastic!”

Liao took the CD out of the radio and put it back in it’s case. While waiting for him to pack up, Satya put on her coat and sat on the bench with Mei outside the rink. The skater deemed it inappropriate to sit on the counter, causing Mei to immediately jump off and join her taking off her skates. Satya was covered in sweat due to hard work from practicing. It was almost ten o’clock at night and yet the girls felt like they could stay awake forever. It somehow slipped Mei’s mind that it was still a school night and that she still had homework to be done but it didn’t matter at this moment. For once in her life, she wanted to concentrate on ice skating.

“Thank you,” replied Satya. “I seem to be getting better at them with every passing day. Let’s hope they’re well enough for the competition in two weeks.”

“I’m sure it will, Satya,” Mei assured her. “You better show me your gold medal when you come back.”

The skater stood up and put her skates in her duffel bag. She then stood in front of the rink owner and gave her a peculiar look. “When did you start calling me Satya?”

Mei paused for a moment before she realized her errors. “Oh, I’m sorry about that! I didn’t even realize I started doing that. My mistake, Ms. Vaswani.”

A small chuckle escaped her lips. “I assure you that it’s fine. I doubt we’ll need formalities if I’ll be seeing you every day.”

Every day?

“You mean… you like it here?” Mei asked.

Liao joined his student. “It’s a lot better than Ecopoint by a landslide. Much cleaner, much friendlier, and definitely safer to be in.”

Satya nodded. “The company isn’t so terrible either.”

Mei looked at the two in disbelief. “So, to get this straight, you’ll be spending the rest of the season here for practice?”

“Precisely.”

Before she could hold herself back, she gave a loud cheer, making the two in front of her jump back in surprise. Satya finally chose to stay at The Blizzard. She couldn’t wait to tell her father the good news. To him, the place would finally be the hotspot in town he’d always dream of. The people from Ecopoint and anywhere else near would skate here more often. Her father would be ecstatic about the publicity and money they were getting. They could finally expand their business more often. And Mei? Mei was just excited to see Satya more often. Those twirls and jumps combined with her deep amber eyes were better to see in person.

“Glad to see you’re excited about our deal too,” Liao joked. “I hope it’s not money that drives you.”

Mei calmed down and shook her head quickly. “Trust me, it’s not. This is all just very exciting.”

“Do you have a set day for our next practice?” asked Satya

Her mind came to a blank. She didn’t think that far. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize I had to think about that,” she admitted sheepishly.

“How about mornings before openings?”

The rink owner sighed. “Without my father here, no one could watch the rink. And I don’t have an extra set of keys with me. What about once a week?”

“That’s only a two practices before the Rostelecom Cup,” Liao informed her.

“Any others ideas?” Mei asked Satya.

There was a brief silence between the three as the skater looked down at the floor and thought long and hard about what to do. Mei hoped she didn’t ruin their arrangement due to not complying. All that work for a good first impression would be for nothing.

“Pick a day for me,” she said. “And I’ll come every day after that. We give you our promise.”

They gave each other a smile warmer than a campfire.

“Thursdays,” Mei replied. “So I expect to see you both tomorrow at 9. Don’t let me down here!”

Liao gave her a friendly bop on her shoulder. “We’ll make sure not to.”

 

Around 10:30 at night, you could hear a creaky window open in the back of the Lacroix house. Sombra, holding a now cold bag of sugar cookies from Fareeha and a bottle of wine, stepped into the house. She cursed herself for picking the wrong window and quickly made her way up the staircase, hoping her friend would still be awake at this time. It was agonizing trying to go through the long hallways of the house. Everything on the walls from the family pictures to weird paintings they found from art galleries looked too fancy and expensive. The hacker felt out of place in the home. She never liked these kinds of houses.

She didn’t bother knocking on the door before letting herself in. Amélie was found on her bed reading a book under what seemed to be seven blankets and pillows. Sombra had to hold in a giggle in front of her friend, who seemed to be stuck in an accidental blanket and pillow fort.

“Enjoying yourself so far?” asked Sombra.

Amélie, feeling a big embarrassed by the mess, tried to pay no attention to her. “I said eight and be no later than that.”

“Yeah? Well you try being stuck at Ecopoint for five hours with no cell service,” replied the hacker as she sat on the bed. “Shit sucks, man.”

“Did you bring what I asked?”

Sombra nodded and handed her the bag. She reached underneath the bed and pulled out an old corkscrew she left there last week. She didn’t waste a second on the bottle as Amélie took her first few bites of the cookies. The wine was bitter to the hacker but it was the cheapest one they offered and the place didn’t card her. Clearly, it was better than nothing.

She looked over to Amélie and the book on her lap. “‘How To Deal With The Unexpected’? Sounds like a fun time. What’s better than the unexpected?”

No response. It felt a little too quiet in the room now. All you heard was the munching of cookies and the wine sloshing back and forth in the bottle. What else was the girl supposed to say?

“Hey, Sombra,” she said in a tiny voice. “Thanks for these. They mean a lot to me.”

Sombra turned back to Amélie. The French woman didn’t dare to look her in the eyes. It felt too weird to be giving their thanks to each other at this time of night.

“Whatever,” she said, taking another gulp of cheap wine. “So what’s the story, amiga? What’s with the cowboy and expensive cookies?”

“It’s learning how to deal with the unexpected. Besides, Fareeha was always like that with her prices.”

“So you do know her?”

Amélie handed the bag to Sombra to share and grabbed the bottle from her hands. “She was my best friend’s sister. She was practically family to me.”

“Was?”

“Was.”

“I’ve got all night, honey. Fess up,” Sombra said as she took a giant bite out of the cookie. They were slightly hard but she didn’t care at this point.

Amélie rolled her eyes and sighed. “ _Tais-toi_. At least tell me where you want me to start from.”

“Start from the day you first met me,” Sombra said. “Graduation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i originally planned this story to be mainly abt mei and satya but i really wanted to explore the other characters and their relationships as well like amelie and sombra, jesse and sombra, genji and jesse, and others i havent mentioned yet that are gonna be in the story. i hope no one minds. i'm also gonna try and upload every monday or tuesday but we'll see how that works out.


	3. Promises and a Memorable Diner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaa i promised i'd update on mondays or tuesdays but i've been busy with school stuff i'm sorry guys  
> but ay an update before monday is something tho right?
> 
> and once again thank you to everyone reading the story it means a lot to me :^)

“Wow,” she said, as she gulped the last of the wine. “There’s a number of things wrong with that kind of life.”

The empty bag of cookies on Amélie’s lap was merely just crumbs in a brown paper sack. The cheap wine from Ecopoint was gone and all remained was the forest green bottle in Sombra’s hands. Her best friend spent an hour explaining all that had happened to her between graduation and today, never missing a single detail to keep the hacker in the loop. She swished the wine around the bottle as she listened to Amélie’s tales in the hospital. Her last cookie was eaten during the story of the French woman meeting her outside of Watchpoint University’s medical office. It was one hell of a story for both of them. Once it got down to the ending, the night became more quiet. For one of them, it was a whirlwind of painful emotions while the other was amused to no end, not used to this much drama in her life.

“ _Espèce d'idiot_ …” Amélie muttered with an eyeroll. “I bare my soul out to you and I get this in return.”

“No no no, it’s not that I’m brushing you off, Lie, I promise!” Sombra assured her. “It’s just that I’m not used to this kind of stuff, alright? I’m more used to dealing with a friend’s breakup or her shit stolen, not her boyfriend dead.”

“Thanks.”

It sounded too insensitive. Those wounds were still fresh. “Sorry.”

A shake of the head brushed off the quick apology. Amélie wouldn’t look at Sombra in the eyes anymore. It was becoming a habit now. All was not forgiven but it would be pushed aside for the time being.”It’s fine. I know what you meant.”

Silence fell between the girls. It was nearly 12:30 in the morning and you could hear faint snores from across the hall. Everyone was fast asleep except for the two girls stuck in a pillow fort. Sombra didn’t know what to say next. She knew that apologizing would do nothing but moving onto a new topic so quickly would make her visit even worse. She never knew Gerard meant this much to the younger girl. If anything, she thought they were just friends. But learning the raw backstory between them was a real game changer for Sombra. It was a huge eye-opener for the purple haired girl and a big chunk of info she missed.

The green wine bottle was slowly placed down onto the hardwood floor. A question was burning in her mind.

“Why stay quiet?”

Amélie turned back to her friend. “What?”

“Why stay quiet? If Jesse and everyone else were so freaked out about you, why leave them in the dust like that? That damn cowboy has been bothering me for two months straight just trying to find you and the least you could do is say hi.”

“Sorry I’m being a burden towards you,” The French woman said, words dripping with venom. “It’s not like I asked for him to try and find me. I didn’t want any of them speaking to me. They think they could feel what I feel as if they were close to Gerard like I was. I can’t bother to speak with them. We’re all different now.”

“So, what, you’re just going to ditch them?” Sombra asked. “After years of friendship?”

“They did the same.”

“Because you did it first!” exclaimed Sombra.

She quickly put her hands over her mouth and they both turned to the door, hoping they didn’t wake anybody up. The girl temporarily forgot in the heated argument that she wasn’t supposed to be over at this time of night. The Lacroix family never really liked Sombra that much since day 1. After hearing no footsteps or yells from Amélie’s mother, the two breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

“Look,” she said, pushing purple strands away from her face. “Talk to them. Say something. At least contact the cowboy. He’s so damn depressing to listen to.”

“So you want me to get him off your back?”

“I want you to get him off yours.”

Pure silence once again. No more cookies to fill in for conversation. No more wine to hide behind. All that was left was their raw emotions with no filter to hold them back.

“i skipped out on work on Wednesday to go to the high school,” Sombra told her. “An old teacher of mine was there and I wanted to stop by and see how he was doing’. Turns out, he was teaching a class so I had to bounce. Went to the track to go smoke and what do I find? A cowboy talking to a kid with green hair.”

Amélie gave a dry laugh. “Good to know Genji finally dyed it.”

Sombra gave her a nod. “The kid left to go back inside and Wild Wild West was just sitting on the bleachers waiting. Before I could even jet, this kid saw me. Called out my name, as if he wanted the whole world to see me. I was pissed beyond belief to have him call me out but, as soon as I saw those puppy eyes, I was hooked in. I had to talk to him. I couldn’t just leave him there.”

“Why bother?”

The hacker gave Amélie a look. She reached into her pocket and handed her friend an item. “As soon as he saw that, he was a man full of questions.”

Amélie looked carefully at the item. “Genji gave this to me as a Christmas present. Did I give this to you?”

“Accidentally, but that’s another story. Anyways, he sat down behind the bleachers and we had a little chat. It was freezing that day too. I remember my fingers nearly going blue from no gloves. But what really got me that day was what he said. The guy told me all these stories of you two during freshman and sophomore year. He was quite the troublemaker and so was Gerard. You always had to bail them out since you were the principal’s favorite but you’d be right back at it again with their antics. He told me you and Gerard were like the mom and dad of the group. He thought you’d last forever.”

“Times change.”

“And so do people.” Sombra gave a long sigh and stood up, dusting crumbs off herself and grabbing the empty wine bottle. “Look, I can tell that kid has been through hell. Lots of people never experience what he’s been through and they’re lucky because of that. But you mean a lot to him, Amélie. You really do. I get that you’re grieving, _chica_ , but you need someone that gets you and _he does_. I can’t do shit for you.”

The hacker made her way over to the door and opened it. Amélie never took her eyes of her. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“Back to my place. I think we both deserve some sleep,” she responded.

The two made their way back downstairs without a word to each other. Their friendship was becoming too rocky with their constant arguing. Sombra could only think about the number of days they had left before Amélie got sick of her. It was all she thought about in her head. For once in her life, the selfish girl wanted to help someone out and it was starting to backfire on herself. Maybe she should’ve kept her mouth shut. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked about Fareeha or Jesse. Maybe she should’ve just dealt with the moody cowboy. It was one too many maybes or what-ifs that really should’ve happened.

Sombra opened the window and went back to the cold neighborhood. She cursed at herself for forgetting to buy gloves while she was at Ecopoint. Being stuck inside the Lacroix’s warm house made her forget that she was stuck in November without the bare necessities. She wondered if it was too late to ask for a scarf to borrow

“Is your car fixed now?” asked Amélie.

The hacker gave her a small nod, shivering as she responded. “I can make it back fine. Worry about yourself, girl.”

“I’ll make sure of it.” 

Before Amélie could slam the window shut, Sombra grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She took a deep breath. “Look, it doesn’t have to be today or tomorrow, Lie,” she told her. “But you have to talk to him. You have to tell him something. He’s been through your hell before. So _please_ , for the love of God, at least say something to him before the new year. For both our sakes.”

Sombra let go of her wrist and waiting for a response. Amélie didn’t know what to say. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to sit there and agree like a dog to her command?She knew she couldn’t agree to that or even give a nod. She was too unpredictable to trust herself to even give Jesse a simple hello. Instead, she slammed the window shut and walked away, letting Sombra watched her as she walked up the stairs back into her room to the fort she accidentally created. It became easier for her to shut herself down like that. It became harder to stop caring about blowing people off like that. She could have said sorry. She could have said she’ll think about it.

Too many maybes. Too many what-ifs. Too many could haves. Not enough to save a rocky friendship.

 

“This is it?” asked Liao.

It was almost twelve in the morning and you could hear the noise of parties down the road or families enjoying their sleep. Satya, Liao, and Mei stayed at the ice rink for an extra hour to make sure that the rink owner got home safe after practice. After realizing her ride, her friend Gabriel, had fallen asleep and Satya had to go to ballet early in the morning, Liao decided to bring Mei back home instead. It was a school night and Satua didn’t want someone like Mei falling behind due to ice skating. The skater dozed off during the car ride, nothing bothering to listen to the small talk her coach tried to make with her new business partner. It wasn’t like she didn’t care much for Mei. She actually thought she was a bit easier to work with. It was only that she wanted to sleep a little before another vigorous day of training.

“Yep. White house, tan roof. Thank you so much for the ride home, sir!” responded Mei.

Her loud voice woke Satya from her slumber. Unfamiliar with her surroundings, she began looking out the windows to inspect the neighborhood while Liao continued to talk. “It was nothing, girl. Just don’t rely on me now,” he joked.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Have a nice night!” She bent down a little to look at Satya in the passenger seat. “See you tomorrow, Satya!”

The skater broke her train of thought and looked back at Mei. Her hair was a bit messy due to her constantly on her feet. The girl probably didn’t bother to check a mirror all day from being too focused on work. Her cheeks were almost as red as a strawberry but Satya dismissed this due to the cold air outside. She could tell the girl was shaking a bit. No amount of thickness in a jacket could protect someone forever.

“We will surely be expecting you at the same time tomorrow. Have a good night, Mei.”

And with that, Mei turned around to walk into her warm house to go to bed. Satya kept forgetting she wasn’t a student like Mei anymore. She had curfews and deadlines and a chance to get into college. That kind of life seemed so foreign to the skater. It’s been quite a while since she’s had that kind of life to begin with. With all the commotion of the Grand Prix and practicing routines to perfection, she forgot that Mei wasn’t used to her kind of life. The girl barely knew what a Triple Salchow was until today and it was only to impress her and Liao. It was a first to deal with someone who wasn’t used to interviews and televised events. It was sometimes a blessing to be known to no one. Satya wondered how haywire this arrangement would go in a few weeks. Pessimism started to get the best of her.

The two in the car didn’t bother to move until Mei was safe inside the house. They slowly drove away, taking their time as the roads were still a bit icy from the previous night’s snow. Liao didn’t bother to make small talk with Satya; he knew she would either give one worded answers or just doze off. Wandering around the small town at night was an experience for both of them. Some houses already had their Christmas decorations up, despite December being nowhere near. You could see the silhouettes of certain people in windows and wonder what they were doing up so late at night. Satya would doze off every now and then, waking up to a brand new window with a brand new story for her to decipher. She realized coming back here wasn’t the worst decision for her. Places were always better during the nighttime.

“You’re pretty quiet today, Sat. You’re that tired?” Liao asked.

A left turn. Satya’s head moved away from the window. “It’s just hard work and dedication. My arms and legs are sore but the routines are almost back to what they were at Skate America.”

“I don’t want you to push yourself too hard, y’know. I don’t need you dying on me before the Grand Prix,” he joked.

A simple nod was given to him. The skater was too tired to try and attempt to joke back at him. All the girl wanted was her bed back. Soft, warm feather pillows and a giant comforter was all Satya needed now. She hoped her mother would still be sleeping. She didn’t even want to bother with her at this time. There was no energy left in her to fight.

When the silence grew too awkward, Liao was the first to break it. “So, what do you think of Ms. Zhou? She seems like a nice person.”

Satya found herself nodding. “Quite kind, actually. Respectful and hardworking as well. I see a lot of myself in her.”

“It was mighty kind of her to let us use her rink to practice.”

“A good business deal like that is something you don’t let go of,” she responded. A look out the window revealed they were close to Satya’s home. “I don’t have much of an opinion of her. She seems like a tolerable person. I’d like to get better acquainted with her to see who she really is. Hopefully, she isn’t like those scoundrels at Ecopoint who wasted our time.”

Liao pulled into the driveway of the Vaswani home. All the lights were off, signalling to Satya that her mother and father were sleeping. Breathing a sigh of relief, she unbuckled her seatbelt and shook off any worry left on her shoulders. Liao handed her the bulky duffel bag she carried. “I doubt she’s like that. She seems too sweet to do that.”

“I get the same feeling from her as well. You don’t see someone like that every so often.”

She grabbed her bag and gave a quick goodbye before shutting the car door. Satya shivered, not used to the cold outside. She already began to miss the heater in Liao’s car. To avoid her parents waking up, she tried to be quiet as she possibly could. The ginger cat that her father loved with all his heart trailed behind her and she made her way up the stairs as quickly as possible. Satya closed the door, leaving the cat alone while the skater defrosted under her comforter. It was as if she was a rowdy teenager trying to sneak back into her house after a night of partying. Satya felt a bit embarrassed trying to go to extreme lengths to avoid her mother. She supposed it was worth it so she could grab more sleep before the ballet session. It was a win in her books if she can grab more sleep before another day of stressful practice.

The bedside table lamp turned off with the flick of a switch, leaving no trace of light in her white bedroom. The house was now completely dark. All you could hear was the cat’s claws against the wooden floor. She was relocating to an open doorway, leaving just the slightest sound of pitter-patter in the house. Snores were faintly heard down the hall. Sounds of a sportscaster from her parents television echoed in the house. Her mother and father probably forgot to turn it off as they waited for their daughter. Satya, too tired to get up, listened to the man speak heartily of the tennis season. The only person left awake in the house was Satya and for a good reason too.

What did Satya Vaswani really think of Mei-Ling Zhou?

She turned to her side to fall asleep quicker but it did nothing. Mei, her potential business partner and somewhat of an acquaintance, was stuck on her mind. She’s never had company, other than Liao, while she skated. The owner of the Ecopoint Ice Rink always stayed in his office and didn’t bother going out to watch. It was always Liao and her on the ice and off the ice. Those two were so used to being only a duo for the past few years that they never expected someone else to come in. Having Mei to cheer her on made her feel awkward, something Satya hated feeling. She wasn’t used to only one person cheering her on so much or complimenting her to no end. It’s something she told Liao when they first started working together two years ago. Satya walked and skated with confidence and now she was fumbling on the floor, flustered by cheers of a girl she hardly knew. The crowds in the stadiums were something she could handle. Mei wasn’t.

But the rink owner made her feel warm. Warm as a fire in the middle of December. She was honest about what she said about the company. Ecopoint had the weirdest people living there. Mei seemed so normal and honest about herself. She never seemed to hide who she was or apologize for her personality. The figure skating world is so fake to Satya. It was always about making yourself seem as regal as possible or pretending to have friendly rivalries with the other competitors. In all honesty, Satya didn’t care much for the other girls competing. Her number one concern was herself. But Mei? She was sweeter than the competition. She was different from them all. She wasn’t used to not beating herself up over simple mistakes. It was like a breath of fresh air to Satya.

She wouldn’t mind having a personal cheerleader or at least someone to talk to during practice. While Liao was fine company, it was a bit repetitive between the two. Constant conversations of Satya saying she could’ve done better while he said she did fine even though he knew she wouldn’t listen. And while he would’ve given up the conversation at that point, Mei kept going. You could see the curiosity and admiration in her eyes as she watched on. You could hear it every time she asked how Satya could even perform that complicated of a routine. Mei was a kind girl. Satya wasn’t used to kind girls. Yes, her company was a bit foreign to the skater but she could say she somewhat enjoyed it.

Could Mei even get used to seeing Satya daily? It was something she questioned a lot while she tossed and turned. She knew that sometimes her personality could affect her relationships with other people. Even when Liao jokes that she should lighten up, it still affected her when she tried talking to someone. She didn’t mean to sound rude or snooty to someone. It was just how she was and how she was raised.

The Vaswani house became colder as the night went on. The last thing Satya thought of before she could sleep was the cheer Mei gave her. She still sees her strawberry red cheeks and bright eyes in her head. Satya could still see her cherry hairpin shining under the lights of the ice rink. She wondered what did Mei think of her? Was it a bad first impression? Was she too obnoxious? Was there something she just wasn’t telling her? Or maybe she was just overreacting and Satya really needed sleep.

It was nearly one in the morning. Ballet classes started in seven hours. Someone next door started their car up. The television in Satya’s parents’ bedroom was still on. She could still hear the sportscaster blather on and on in his segment.

She gripped her blanket a little tighter and let herself relax for the first time of the night.

“Please,” she said to herself. “Do not falter now.”

And with that, Satya fell into a deep slumber.

 

Around five o’clock in the morning, Lena Oxton sat on her bed wide awake, staring out her frosty window. Snow completely covered her driveway and her parents car was barely visible underneath all the white mess. Genji was supposed to come around a quarter to seven to pick her up for school. She was always his last stop while Jesse was his first. Lena hoped that Overwatch High School would call in sometime soon to announce a delay or maybe a day off so she could sleep in a little longer. She could use the extra hours to catch up on schoolwork or even sleep a little long. After waiting until nearly 5:30 and getting no phone call, she sighed. In all her disheveled glory, she slowly made her way out of her warm and comfy bed to head to the shower. If she could, she’d watch the snowflakes flutter down onto the asphalt all day. But she had work to do and no one else was going to do it for her.

Around six o’clock, Lena stepped out of the shower and immediately got to getting ready. Her hair, while beautiful in her own messy way, felt like it took hours to do. In the middle of blow drying and styling, she heard her phone vibrate loudly on her dresser. A text from Genji.

 **Genji** : hey would you and mei mind taking the bus this morning? i got a flat tire with no spares :-(

A pang of disappointment hit the track star. Sure, the bus wasn’t that bad but she’d much rather prefer the comfiness of convertible. It was quieter, cozier, and definitely had less obnoxious freshmen to deal with. The group’s usual morning coffee run would have to be put on hold for the day. 

**Lena** : no problem then! i’ll see ya second period then? or are we meeting at my locker today?

She didn’t get a response immediately which was odd since Genji was always a fast texter. She shrugged it off and continued to blow dry her hair into the signature brown spiky mess she was known for. She applied her minimal makeup and went to look for warmer clothes to wear while her phone vibrated once more.

 **Genji** : i don’t think i’ll be there on time actually. go to class without me. i told mei the same thing.

A sigh escaped her lips. First period Physics would be boring without her friend sitting next to her. She’d miss the whispers between them when the teacher wasn’t looking. She’d miss throwing crumpled paper balls at him back and forth instead of taking notes. Lena cursed herself for getting into senior Physics. She didn’t know any other seniors except the ones she was friends with now. She was friendly with them, yes, but actually friends with them? Lena was too awkward to even try.

 **Lena** : oh alright! hope you could get there soon!

It would be a quiet morning without Genji there to mess with her. Without the morning coffee that he’d bring her first period, she’d be a mess. She’d just have to manage for the morning. At least they all had lunch and gym together.

Stepping outside brought shivers down her spine. The weather had been colder than expected. Lena tugged the scarf around her neck and braced herself for the upcoming wind to hit her face as she made her way down the road. She took her time walking out of her house, nervous she’d slip on ice and hurt herself. It had been three years since she had to take her public school bus. Genji had been a blessing in disguise with his personal driver until he began driving in his junior year. Having to avoid the obnoxious kids every morning made her day run by a little more smoother. While Lena was normally a cheerful person, she had her off days like everybody else. And the constant screaming and vulgar language the people on the bus threw around so early in the morning made her off days even worse.

It’s been awhile since she’s been at her bus stop. The previous people at her stop had graduated, leaving only three people left there. Aleksandra Zaryanova, her neighbor, was standing there only in a thin jean jacket and a pink scarf. Lena gawked at her light attire and wondered how could she be so fine in only 18 degree weather. Mei was bundled up to the extreme. She wore her signature blue coat and was rearranging her matching hat to cover her ears better. The face mask she wore to protect her nose and lips fogged up her glasses. Just looking at Mei made Lena feel a bit warmer inside. She decided it was a crime to wait outside in this temperature for a bus that was already late picking them up.

The track star made her way to her best friend, eager to try and distract herself for a bit. “I hope they’re serving hot chocolate today.”

“I have some in my bag if you want it,” Mei offered as she took her thermos out

Lena shook her head excitedly as Mei handed her the warm. She didn’t drink it at first and only held it for its warmth. After a few moments of defrosting her hands, she took a few gulps before returning it back. “Thanks, love!”

The bus made its way to their street corner and the girls hopped on, already waiting for the day to be over with so they can get back to their heated homes. Snow covered houses slowly passed by them as the bus made its way around the neighborhood picking up the rest of the kids. Lena noticed that Hana would sit all the way in the back not speaking to anyone. Aleksandra would sit near the middle and talk to the other kids on the bus. As Lena made conversation with Mei, she watched on as different kids made their way onto the bus. It wasn’t until she reached the very last stop that she saw Fareeha hop on. A perplexed feeling washed upon her. Wouldn’t Jesse be with her? Did he go to school with Ana instead? But why only him and not Fareeha and him?

“Oh, Lena,” Mei said, dragging her out of thoughts. “Did I tell you about Satya?”

Eager to know what happened between her best friend and her crush, she sat up and gave a big smile. “She’s staying isn’t she?”

The bus took a left and drove in the main part of town. “Yes!” Mei exclaimed. “She’s coming back tonight after Lúcio’s gig! I can’t wait to tell everyone what happened last night!”

Lena playfully rolled her eyes. “What, did she propose on the ice?”

“Lenaaaaaaaa!”

The track star laughed as Mei went on to talk about what happened with Satya last night. She didn’t miss a single detail about the visit and went on to even explain Satya’s routine. Lena didn’t know a thing about ice skating nor the girl her best friend was head over heels with but played along regardless, happy to hear her friend’s joy. She was excited for her friend and even more excited to even meet Satya and see what she was actually like. Perhaps she wasn’t a girl with high standards, but actually, someone more than that.

But as Mei went on and on about Satya’s eyes and her graceful moves, Lena found herself getting less and less interested in the story. Her smile was only partially there, leaving bit by bit as the story kept going. This bus ride felt like an eternity to her. As much as she loved Mei with all her heart, she just dropped her cheery and attentive attitude and stared out the icy window. The small local shops had their roofs and stairs covered in snow and their windows were adorned in holiday decorations. She began to lost count of all the Christmas trees and dreidel stickers she’s seen on the shop windows, wondering when she would start decorating her own house. Ugly sweaters had to come out eventually and the group all had their own.

Mei, lost in her own world, didn’t even notice her best friend wasn’t paying attention to her story. The bus came to a gentle stop in front of a red light and Lena recognized her surroundings. They were right in front of Oasis Diner, a place where the group would occasionally go to on the weekends after movies or a long night of work. The last time any of them went was the night before school started. Lena still remembers the night fondly. Because she was so anxious to start school, Jesse thought it would be a good idea to take her, Genji, and Mei out for a late night dinner. It was the first time they went without Amélie or Gerard and they hardly even noticed their absence but Lena did. She noticed they were moving on.

Despite being seven in the morning, people were piling into Oasis Diner like it was no tomorrow. She recognized some of her own classmates there laughing and joking around. They were probably seniors, she thought. If you were going to be late, you might as well be extremely late. She’s learned many times with Genji and Jesse. Besides, Lena felt a bit jealous of them. She’d kill for those blueberry pancakes the diner was famous for. No coffee and scone in the morning made her a little disappointed.

But before she could turn away and focus her attention back on Mei, she noticed a couple. It was two boys, a short one with green hair and a taller one wearing a cowboy hat. They were smiling at each other, both laughing at something that was said between them. The cowboy stopped right in front of the door and leaned a bit closer to the green haired boy. Before any of them could say a thing to each other, the bus began to move. Lena desperately tried to look on, hoping to see something else go on between them before they became out of sight. All she could see was the cowboy saying a few words with a large grin on his face before they became completely out of her sight.

It was no doubt to Lena that those two were Genji and Jesse. No one else in town would be crazy enough to dye their hair as green as grass and not bother to wear a hat in this weather. No one else would even wear a cowboy hat in this age. It was too out of style.

“Hey, Lena?”

She turned back around. “Yes, love?”

“Are you alright?” Mei asked. “I was talking about Satya driving me home before you completely spaced out on me.”

And it wasn’t until then that envy had hit her.

Why would they lie to her? Why wouldn’t they invite her or Mei to breakfast with them? She’d understand why leave Mei out of this for her attendance record and grades but Lena wasn’t the future valedictorian. She was their best friend too.

Jesse and Genji always had each other since day one. She knew they cared about her and Mei just as much as they cared about each other but this was different. Genji deliberately lied to them to be with Jesse. Whether it was a romantic intent or just going out with friends, it hurt. She knew she should’ve been happy for them finally progressing but for now, she couldn’t.

As Mei finished her story about Satya, the bus parked right in front of the school. Lena had to be brought back to the real world and continue on with herself. What else could she even do? She stood up, put on the biggest smile she could manage, and walked off the bus, eager to get the day and her shift at The Blizzard over with already.

Jesse had Genji and that was already known since they first met each other.

Mei was too hung up over Satya to pay attention to anyone else.

So what did that leave Lena?

“Do you think I have enough time to stop by Mr. Reyes’ room?” Mei asked as they walked down the main hallway. “I wanted to talk to him for a bit about my recommendation letter before my Psychology class started.”

“Actually, I have to talk to Mr. Wilhelm about my Trig grade” Lena lied. “You want me to just meet up with you before lunch instead?”

Mei nodded. “Yeah, go ahead. See ya later!”

As soon as she waved and turned around the corner, it was Lena’s chance to get a move on. Mr. Wilhelm could wait a bit longer. She was a woman on a mission that needed to be completed.

So what did that leave Lena?

Only a handful of ideas and an old friend’s number on her phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i realized while making the story that i kinda just left lena sitting there doing nothing. i have plot for her but it comes on much later in the story and i didn't want her just known as "mei's best friend" so i added in some story for her. i also added more development to satya, sombra, and mcgenji to make the relationships a bit smoother.  
> so next chapter is gonna come in a few days and you're definitely gonna meet some more characters so yay!  
> thanks for reading and let me know if you guys have any suggestions for the story!


	4. My Old Friends Are Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello hello hello thnk u for all the kudos and comments and just reading the story overall  
> i sound repetitive but i gotta thank u guys
> 
> i'm a bit late with my update but this was actually the longest chapter i wrote and i just wanted the interactions to go by smoothly so ye enjoy

As soon as Lena walked through the doors of the Route 66 Cafe, she knew she made the wrong choice.

The cafe was nice, yes, but better than Oasis Diner? Not by a long shot. The place looked a bit run down and deserted since people stopped coming. Since Oasis decided to be a 24 hour open business, they lost a lot of business, including Lena’s. Route 66 Cafe has been stripped of it’s community hangout title and been rightfully passed on. Before the 24 hour shift at the diner, Lena would come here all the time with her friends to study or hang out before shifts at the ice rink. They had some good memories here from Genji getting kicked out or Mei accidentally breaking the machines from complicated orders. Lena would order the same coffee from the same cute girl who worked at the counter, always forgetting to get the girl’s number and to stop ordering the awful coffee they made. Jesse always said it tasted like boiled dirt but did she listen? Never. 

She ordered two of the same coffee as before, forgetting Jesse’s comments, and sat down at the wobbly table near the windows. It’s been a while since she’s cut class but it’s been a while since she’s cut class without her friends. It was only eight in the morning but she could see from where she sat that the Oasis Diner was getting packed while the cafe only had a handful of people in it, Lena included. Over the busted speakers softly played a tune from the Deadlock Gang, one of Jesse’s favorite bands. Lena groaned and looked out the window. If she wanted to be reminded of those two even more then she might as well have crashed their breakfast date at Oasis.

A small tap on the shoulder turned her away from the windows and pushed out her thoughts. “Hey, what’s up, stranger?”

“Lúcio!” Lena immediately stood up and gave her friend a hug. “I didn’t think you’d make it to Watchpoint before noon! How are you, mate? It’s been ages!”

Lúcio gave a small laugh and hugged her back. “I got back last night. Besides, you know how touring is. As much as I love it, I’m so glad to be back home.” He sat down and took a sip of his coffee. He made a face at it and started pouring cups of half and half into it. “Sorry I couldn’t call or text as much. Some places were crazy with signal and my first priority was my parents.”

Lena handed him a couple packets of sugar. “How’s your ma and pa? Doing alright?” asked Lena.

“Yeah, they’ve been doing alright since I left. Ma picked up a job at the diner so I’m gonna visit before my gig at The Blizzard. Pa’s working at The Molten Core with that guy Torbjörn still. Not the best place but the money is fire,” he joked.

“No shame in being a mechanic!”

They laughed together as the two drowned their coffees in sugar and half and half milk. It was a nice catch up session between them as they told each other what they’ve been up to. Three years of a friendly rivalry in track and trying to upstage the other in pranks led to such a kind friendship between them. Even after Lúcio graduated, he was the only one to still stay in contact with everybody, no matter how far he was. It was nice to see a such a famous DJ from such a small town still keep in touch with old friends. He wasn’t the type to let fame get to his head. Lúcio was a kind person to everyone.

“What about you and Mei? How’s Jesse and Genji? Still trippin’ over each other?” asked Lúcio.

The track star rolled her eyes. “Obviously. They’re having breakfast together at Oasis.”

“You didn’t go?”

“Wasn’t invited.”

Lúcio frowned. “That’s cold, man.”

“Tell me about it,” she said. “But, I’ve been fine here. Just doing some training and stuff. Mei’s been pretty busy at the rink too ever since that ice skater came over.”

He gave her a questioning look as she took a sip of her awful coffee. “Ice skater?”

Lena nodded. “Mei’s head over heels for the girl. She’s training for something called the Grand Prix or something.”

The look on the DJ’s face was of amazement and shock. “Get out of here! You got that kind of high end athletes at The Bliz? Damn, I missed a lot during tour season.”

“Yeah, Hana told me she went to Overwatch with us too but I never saw her around. Must’ve been a senior or graduated already,” explained the cheery girl. “But we’re meeting her tonight for the first time and I hope things go well.”

“Hana said that?” asked Lúcio, ears perking up at the sound of his best friend. “Does that mean we know the girl?”

“You might know her since you practically know everyone here,” she joked, reaching for her cup. “But it’s Satya Vaswani. Ever heard of her?”

"Oh, God, I can't stand that girl!"

Lena choked on her awful coffee, the drops from her mouth nearly falling on the table. "What?" she asked, baffled by his change of attitude. The mood suddenly changed. This was completely unlike him. Lúcio liked everyone! Even Hanzo, who was distant as ever towards Genji's friends, was on good terms with the DJ. But Satya? She apparently seemed to be completely a different story. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. The semi-permanent smile on his face was gone. “That girl, I swear, is a pain in my ass. She's thinking that she's so much better than everybody else here and has that stupid high and mighty attitude about herself. That girl is so damn aggravating."

"So was Hanzo and you still talk to him."

Lúcio shook his head. "No, no, no. Hanzo was way different. He takes his life with reluctance. I’m not the closest to him but I can tell both him and Genji don’t want that kind of life. But Satya? Satya is so pampered from her life that it's _offensive_. The amount of shit she gave me because of my lifestyle was awful in high school. I like everyone, Lena, but I gave her so many chances that I gave up. She’s past saving.”

"What do you mean about your lifestyle? What did she say?" inquired Lena.

Lúcio took another sip of his tasteless coffee, ready to tell a story. "Look, I grew up in Ecopoint, right? That shit ain't the best place to grow up, obviously. There’s crazy ass people on every street like that one dude who’s obsessed with explosives and that giant guy who never takes off his mask. But, you know what? We made it work. We had a good life Ecopoint. My family is full of good people. We’re all hard working but we’re just unlucky. So, just 'cause we're poor, we're thugs or street rats? Of course not. I made a living and supported my family from what little I had. I still do. She's just… ugh, whatever. I'm done with her."

Lena sat in shock as she took in the details of Lúcio’s story. She faintly remembered times he would come to the lunch table pissed off about his lab partner in sophomore year and how he begged the teacher to switch or how in junior year he would complain at the cheery girl’s locker for two months about having to complete a long English project with her. She remembers the girl but they never spoke. Only in passing would they ever see each other. Lena would have to officially meet Satya tonight which made her tense up a bit. If Lúcio had to deal with her haughty attitude all throughout high school, was Lena going to have to deal with it at the rink too? She loved Mei with all her heart but she didn’t want her to be head over heels for someone like Satya. She knew the rink owner deserved better, even if Satya meant business.

“We should tell Mei, shouldn’t we?” asked Lena.

Lúcio shrugged. “It’s her life. I can’t make her decisions for her. If Mei wants to even marry that girl, I’m not gonna let my opinions stop her. But we should say something to her. Not now, not in an hour or two, but eventually. She should remember what she’s gettin’ into.”

Lena sighed and took a sip of her coffee. The two both looked out the window to see Genji and Jesse leaving the diner with smiles on their faces. The infamous cowboy hat collected snow as it laid proudly on Genji’s vibrant green hair. They carefully maneuvered around the ice but Jesse would occasionally lose his balance as they walked towards Genji’s car. Just as Lena expected, the car was totally fine but only had a white sheet starting to cover it. She sighed and turned back to Lúcio, eager to make the mood happier again.

“They’re pretty cute together,” he said.

She nodded, giving a slight smile. “Yeah, they really are.”

Lúcio put his cup down after taking a long gulp. He gave her his famous smile and brought the mood back up. “Let’s go visit my pa and then get you back to class. I don’t need you missing too much because of me, girl.”

Lena smiled right back at him. “Sure. Let’s get to it.”

 

Around twelve in the afternoon, Genji, Lena, and Jesse all made it back to school in time for lunch with Mei. The boys didn’t dare tell the girls what they’ve been up to and Lena never spoke a word of her meeting with Lúcio. Mei, being the star pupil she is, was at school all day working and didn’t even notice her friends’ absences or the little white lie the boys told her. She also didn’t notice the sunshine coming from one of her friends was slowly being covered by clouds either. She took Lena’s quietness as a sign of tiredness and didn’t think twice about it while Genji looked on with concern, wondering what had happened to her. At two o’clock exactly, they rushed out the school doors and walked altogether in the snow to The Blizzard, eager to start their ever-so-popular Friday Night Special.

“What time is Satya coming?” asked Jesse, carefully maneuvering around the ice.

“She called me this morning and said she’d be here around 8:30. She said she didn’t wanna ruin business so we’ll start around 9,” Mei explained.

Lena took this opportunity to speak up. “Uh, Mei, don’t you think we all deserve a night off? Maybe Satya too? We could call Lúcio and tell him to reschedule.”

“If you’re tired, Lena, you could have just told us! Do you want the day off? No docks to your pay, I swear.”

The cheery girl sighed as she opened up the front doors. “No, I’m fine, love. It was just a suggestion.”

Mei and Jesse shrugged it off as Genji looked on with curiosity. They manned their stations as the first few customers came in for the day. Lena helped a few girls get back on the rink and onto the ice while Genji sat in the bleachers doing his homework. Since he missed Physics this morning, he’s been desperately trying to catch up and was lacking without a certain bubbly girl to help him out. It’s like every time he asked for help on a question about kinematics, she seemed to have not heard him and instead took another lap around the ice. While Genji struggled desperately, Mei took her place at the front desk, giving cards to people interested in lessons and saying hello to old or new faces that came in. Jesse was the most bored of them all. He only watched the skaters go by as more and more filled up the rink every few minutes or so. He didn’t know how he managed to sneak a Deadlock Rebels album onto the speakers without Mei noticing but it definitely made the shift go by a bit smoother.

By the time Lúcio came in, the place was packed. The legendary Lúcio Correia dos Santos from Ecopoint was back in town for The Blizzard on their extraordinary Friday nights. He quickly gave the group their hugs and had little catch up sessions with all of them before heading off to the sound booth. The Deadlock Rebels album was tossed aside as the DJ plugged in his computer and set himself up. Homework and front desk management was tossed aside for the time being. It was only five o’clock but yet The Blizzard was partying like there was no tomorrow. This was definitely a good way to end a bad week for the group.

“Wow,” Genji exclaimed. “Is this the new material you were hinting at last week?”

The younger Shimada brother helped set up the rest of Lúcio’s equipment in the sound booth as the DJ nodded his head and danced to the rhythm. “Yep! Sounds good doesn’t it?”

“Sounds amazing! When’s the album coming out?”

A few keys were pressed on the laptop. The boys watched on as everyone on the ice were laughing and enjoying themselves. “Pretty soon. Just a few minor tweaks and then it’ll be all set. I don’t wanna release it just yet tho. Maybe four more months.”

Genji finished connecting the wires. “Why so late?”

“I wanna stay here a bit more. I just got back from tour and everything, man. I’m tired as hell,” Lúcio said with a small grin on his face. “I wanna catch up with my family and be there for them for a bit more, you feel me? Five months of touring really wears you out. I don’t wanna go back to that just yet.”

Genji nodded. “I understand.”

The beat dropped and the boys went right back to dancing. “I don’t know how I’m gonna top this, G! You guys gotta help me out next album! It’s gotta be a group effort, y’know! No singling out people! We move together as one!”

Genji gave him a thumbs up. “It’s a deal!”

“Now get back out there, man!” he ordered. “This is a solo mission!”

 

Satya Vaswani stared at the building with curiosity and slight anxiety building in her eyes. Ecopoint’s ice rink was never this lively before, even on the weekends. She could hear the music even outside the building. The tiny cartoon drone on the door seemed a little less cozier to her now as she could see from the outside that the place was packed. The skater took a step back. She didn’t want to go in there herself. With Liao by her side, she felt more confident since they were always a magic duo. She never faced the ice or her crowd without him. But a packed ice rink with loud electronic music blasting from the speakers? This was nowhere near her scene. She felt intimidated. Satya hadn’t felt like this since her first competition.

She felt foolish. It was just like a party. It was just like the post Grand Prix dinners she attended during the end of the season. This was nothing. It was probably just a bunch of her old neighbors or classmates that she would see. People that she spends months to avoid and had to see once again. People that would try and talk to her once they realized who she was and once again Satya would have to fake interest and deal with their nonsense. She wondered how Mei was tonight.

“Did the doors freeze again?”

She turned around, feeling a faint sense of familiarity from the voice. It was a man of Asian descent who was about the same height as she was. He wore a thick black coat with a matching pair of gloves and a scarf. His hair was in a ponytail and his long bangs partially covered his right eye. Satya remembered him but still gave him a look of confusion at his words.

“The doors?”

“Sometimes it gets too cold in Watchpoint so the doors end up freezing a bit. Imagine trying to deal with that for an hour or so,” he explained with a small chuckle.

“I see.” She gave him a small nod and looked back at the rink. “How have you been, Hanzo? It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you. I see you’ve finally grown out your facial hair.”

Hanzo gave a small grin to her. “I’ve been trying. Watchpoint has been quite boring without you. My economics class was always dreadful without you or Gerard around.”

“Studying law at the university?”

He stood next to her. “If someone is going to follow my father’s footsteps, it might as well be me. I don’t bother trusting Genji with anything,” he said with an eyeroll. He shook his head. “How has your career been?”

“It has been very kind to me. I’m in the middle of the season now. Next competition is in two weeks in Moscow. I’ve been practicing here for the past two days since Ecopoint blew up. Those street ruffians were always troublemakers. ”

Hanzo gave a small chuckle. “This is definitely safer than Ecopoint. I’m glad to see you’re back for a bit. Hope this place can be a good temporary fill for Seattle.”

“It’s good to be back.” She watched as a small boy with pale skin and black hair put on his skates and made his way onto the ice. She recognized him immediately. “I didn’t know Amélie still brought her brother here.”

“I didn’t know Amélie was still around,” the elder Shimada brother responded. “She hasn’t been attending any classes at the university.”

“Such irresponsibility,” Satya said.

It was quiet for a few moments as they watched the people pass by on the ice. Satya felt awkward knowing the fact that she didn’t belong there. She wasn’t a part of that. Even talking to Hanzo felt slightly uncomfortable to her. They were friends before but when Satya left school to focus on her career, they never kept in contact. They became completely different people now. So this meant to her that she either had the choice of staying outside in the freezing weather and keep up the small talk so she wasn’t almost half an hour early to practice and look awkward or walking inside a place packed with people she either knew or knew would bother her for pictures or an autograph.

“Why are you here, Hanzo?” she asked in a curious tone.

The elder Shimada sighed. “I have to bring my brother home. My father wanted both his boys around for a party he’s throwing back at the estate.” He looked back over to her. “Why did you leave Seattle?”

She could see Mei sitting on the same counter as before and nodding her head to the beat of the music. She was chatting about something that she didn't know about with a boy who wore a cowboy hat, a fashion choice that Satya questioned. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a skinny looking girl and Genji, Hanzo’s younger brother. She never spoke to the boy in person but knew of him due to Hanzo’s ranting sessions during class and lunch. They didn’t look as graceful as Satya did on the ice and instead took laps around it. She noticed they skated separately on the ice as younger Shimada brother followed after the the other girl who, in Satya’s eyes, tried desperately to move farther and farther away from him. She noticed the four of them had t-shirts with the signature cartoon drone on it and wondered if they were all friends or had a strictly working relationship.

“That boy in the cowboy hat keeps staring at your brother,” Satya informed him.

“I’m well aware of his proclivities.”

“I’m assuming you’re struggling against him,” she said with a grin

“Why don’t we go inside?” Hanzo quickly offered, gesturing her to walk inside. “I’m sure you’re on a schedule, Vaswani.”

She gave him a smirk and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I have all night.”

 

When Satya walked into the packed ice rink, her smirk was gone and she swore her heart was beating a mile a minute.

It was nice to have Mei as a distraction as they said their hellos and chatted for a bit. It became less nicer and less distracting when Mei thought the best idea was to introduce her to all the workers. She realized that all the workers were Mei’s friends which put more pressure onto the skater. She straightened her back, dusted off the snow on her coat, and wore her best poker face. Satya didn’t care much for the cowboy-looking fellow named Jesse nor the skinny girl named Lena who tried to avoid eye contact. She did notice Genji’s enthusiasm towards her and the wink he gave Mei when he thought she wasn’t looking. Her biggest concern wasn’t actually trying to maintain a friendship with these people. She knew they’d probably never speak to her again and she would do the same. Her biggest concern was the same thing she thought of when she first properly met Mei.

 _Please_ , she thought. _Don’t come off too rude to them._

Genji was all smiles when he met her, causing the skater to feel uncomfortable. She was used to crazy fans and put her guard up just in case anything happened. Mei reassured her that Genji was just eager as the younger Shimada brother continued talking. He complimented her and even mentioned how happy he was to see her win Skate America, shocking Satya. His knowledge of figure skating pleasantly surprised her. Just as Satya deemed him a decent and respectable person to speak to, he completely lost his cheerful attitude when he saw Hanzo walk in right behind her.

“Why are you here early?” he asked, voice cold but had hints of worry stuck in there.

“Our father preferred the both of us to be had home for his party. His clients are apparently eager to meet us,” Hanzo explained.

Genji took himself off the ice. “Why me? He doesn’t want me there,” he spat. “Besides, I’m working.”

“Taking laps around the ice all day is not work.”

“Hanzo,” Satya warned him. He gave her a look and she returned it right back. 

Mei decided to step in before anything else could happen. “Genji, it’s okay to leave an hour early! I won’t dock your pay or anything, I promise. Jesse, Lena, and I will clean up everything and you wouldn’t need to worry.”

Genji looked to Mei then back at Hanzo. The elder Shimada brother merely raised his eyebrow. “Are you changing or not? We’re on a schedule.”

Genji merely glared at him before turning back to Mei and Satya. “Sorry to cut our first meeting short, Ms. Satya. Good luck at your practice.”

The brothers walked out of the rink area, leaving the two girls by themselves. Jesse and Lena completely missed the incident as the cowboy was stuck in the sound booth helping Lúcio pack up and the cheerful girl was in the locker room changing. Mei and Satya just sat back on the bench from last night, feeling too awkward to talk to each other because of the tension from the events. The girls didn’t even know what to say to each other. Satya didn’t mind the quiet nor waiting for Liao to come back so they could begin but it was bothering Mei too much. Leave it up to Genji and Hanzo for creating a little scene and make them feel awkward. She wasn’t angry but more like exasperated.

“What kind of music is this?” Satya asked, breaking the silence.

“It’s, uh, electro house, according to Lúcio,” Mei responded nervously. “I’m not sure exactly w-what exactly that means but it’s really good! A lot of the customers like it too.”

The rink owner didn’t notice Satya’s look of disgust at the mention of the DJs name. “Lúcio? He’s here tonight?”

Mei nodded. “Yep! He’s packing up now actually. If you want, you can come with me and go say hi before he goes!”

Satya shook her head and stood up. “No thank you,” she said, with a hint of distaste Mei heard in her tone. “I’m going to head outside and call Liao. I hope his car troubles aren’t too severe for him to not show up.”

Along with a few other costumers done for the night, she walked away and out the front door, leaving a disappointed Mei sitting on the bench wondering when the mood went south.

Lena skated over to her, cheerful gleam back in her eyes. “Whoo! I’m beat, love. This is definitely a better exercise than running laps all day. No wonder skaters are so fit, y’know?”

Mei shrugged and stood up. “I guess.”

The cheerful gleam was replaced by a look of worry. “What’s wrong? Where’s Satya? Wasn’t Genji here a few minutes ago?”

“Hanzo took him back home after an argument and Satya went to call her coach,” the rink owner explained, moving back towards the receptionist desk. “There were some minor awkward complications. I’m gonna announce the rink is closing in ten so we can set up. You can go home early if you’d like.”

Lena shook her head. “Nah, Jesse and Lú can go home early. I’ll say with ya, alright?” Mei gave her a smile and Lena sat herself on the desk, not bothering to grab one of the chairs in front of her. “Besides, I don’t think the boys are interested in skating.”

“Says who?”

They turned around to see Jesse and Lúcio with all the equipment the DJs brought with him. The cowboy was looking a bit tired while Lúcio looked like he could still party for a couple more hours.

“You’re interested in watching Satya skate?” asked Lena.

His eyes widened. “Oh, her? Nah, I’m out.” He shook Mei’s hand. “Thanks for letting me play tonight, girl. Pleasure seeing ya again.”

“Thanks for coming, Lúcio. Hope to see you soon,” Mei said with a small smile.

The boys walked over to Lúcio’s car, not even noticing a Satya on the phone under the streetlight. The DJ gave a quick hug and fist bump to Jesse before driving off back home. Satya watched as Jesse walked back indoors and she tapped her foot nervously. Liao was busy rambling off about his problems while the snow was finally letting up. Watchpoint was back to being quieter than ever, save the loud laughter she heard from inside. A few moments later, she watched the cowboy emerge from the building in his hat and coat on the phone with someone she couldn’t hear. He seemed anxious as he walked over to a minivan on the sidewalk opposite of her to leave. Satya gave a big sigh. Tonight seemed like a mess.

“Can’t you just call a cab? I need the music and I need my coach,” she said, an irritated tone creeping up in her voice.

“Satya, this isn’t Seattle anymore,” Liao responded. “There are no cab companies in this place. Everyone is either sleeping or busy now and I think I’m gonna be stuck here for the night.”

“So I’m stuck here? I don’t even know this girl.”

“Mei wants to know you.” She could hear him sigh over the phone. “Look, take a break, skate, talk to the girl, or whatever. I’ll text you the song link. But bottom line is _I can’t make it tonight, Sat_. Good luck.”

He hung up before she could say another word.

 

“So what exactly is my job here? Because I’m supposed to be off the clock right now.”

Mei watched Satya take a few laps on the ice to warm up while Lena connected the skater’s phone to the speakers. The rink owner could tell Satya was nervous every second she lasted out on the rink. She kept going back and forth between looking at the rink and the door, checking to see if Liao would show up at any minute to ease her anxiousness. Lena tested out the song for a few seconds and paused it, turning up the volume on the speakers for Satya to hear better. She played the song one more time causing Satya to stop on the ice and look up at the sound booth. She locked eyes with Mei who gave her a thumbs up in return. Satya merely turned her head away and continued on practicing while a disappointed Mei went back into the sound booth.

“I’ll pay you in lunch tomorrow. You’re only getting the music set up for Satya while she gets ready to practice her free skate. If you want, you can leave now and I can finish up the rest” she informed Lena.

The track star looked up from the speakers. “Wait, hold on. Free skate?”

Mei nodded. “I looked it up online. A free skate is four minutes long while a short program is around two. You got a bunch of requirements to meet and stuff like the amount of jumps you have to do or spins and stuff. I never knew skating was this complicated.”

“Short program?”

“Like I said, skating is complicated.”

A loud clap was heard from the rink. The girls poked their head out from the booth to see the noise came from an annoyed Satya.

“If you don’t mind,” she said. “I’d like to work on my routine. If you two aren’t busy chatting, then we can proceed.”

Lena looked over to Mei who nodded at the skater. “Sorry! I’m sorry!”

Satya moved into position as Lena went back into the booth. “There’s no need for apologies, Mei. We just need to work.”

Lena sighed and shook her head. “That girl is a real damn piece of work,” she muttered as she pressed play. 

The music began to flood from the speakers. It was a classical piece, far different from the first song Satya used for her short program. Sounds of a piano and skates filled the rink. Mei quickly ran down from the sound booth to the rink while Lena immediately followed. They watched in awe as Satya moved with precision, such beauty and grace radiating from her. She picked up speed as she moved around on the ice, arms spread and dancing to the rhythm. Mei’s seen this routine before. It was what Satya called “exquisite” last night before she even stepped foot onto the ice. Lena watched on in amazement as the skater got ready for her first jump. Mei held her breath, scared once again that Satya could shatter like ice if she fell.

She stuck the landing and Lena cheered on. “Amazing!’

Mei nodded, “Triple Lutz, Triple toe loop. That’s what her coach told me.”

“Whatever it was, it was amazing!”

Satya gave the cheering girls a brief nod before putting on her poker face again. The cheers only fueled her and motivated her to achieve the greatness she knows she can be. She continued on with her routine, twisting and turning her body as the song went on. Her arms began to hurt as the song went on but she brushed it off. She could relax when she’s in first place at the Grand Prix. Maybe she should’ve listened to Liao and taken a break but the competition was heating up. Only two weeks away from Rostelecom Cup and she needed to be at the top of her game. Sweat was beading up on her forehead as she entered position to begin her spins in the first half of the routine.

“What kind of spins were those?” asked Lena

“Camel and Illusion. She’s doing fantastic right now!”

Satya had to hold back her smirk. Mei would be an amusing temporary coach for Liao. Lena could even be assistant coach. Satya didn’t mind the company.

Mei watched on as Satya nailed every jump and spin in her first half. The music completely enveloped her as Satya moved onto the second half. The rink owner couldn’t help but feel admiration for the skater as she lost herself within the heavy piano. It was completely mesmerizing to see someone so young with so much talent blow so many people away. It hasn’t been long but Mei could tell Satya was going to go far. She could tell that the world was not ready for someone like Satya Vaswani and when they see her at the Grand Prix final, Mei was going to be right behind her cheering her on. With every Lutz and Flip, Mei was going to cheer on Satya, whether she liked it or not.

It wasn’t until the skater messed up that Mei jumped out of her thoughts. “Triple loop, double toe. Something happened.”

Lena looked at Mei. “She messed up?”

Mei nodded back to her. The plan was originally triple loop, triple toe. She could see even from a distance that Satya was beating herself up over it already. The girl was too harsh on herself. It was a simple mistake. She was sure the judges wouldn’t even notice. Nonetheless, Satya carried on, moving her arms gracefully to the rhythm and desperately trying to keep emotion out of her facial expression. She fell out of her Triple Axel and had to touch the ice. Lena looked on with shocked eyes while Mei began to worry. The routine was starting to get worse and everyone could sense it. Did Satya always do this? Was she thinking about something else? Was she still angry over the toe loop?

Mei braced herself and gripped the edge of the rink. “You can’t beat yourself up over this!” she yelled.

Satya looked at her in shock but continued on her performance. She performed a Double Axel and began to get into position for a sit spin, one of her and Liao’s favorite moves in the entire routine. Mei could see the second half was nearly ending but knew that this was important. The main source of Satya’s points for a high score would be in the second half. If Satya messed up once then her place on the podium would be greatly jeopardized just because the skater was too harsh on herself.

Mei spoke up once more. “You can’t falter now because of a little mistake, Satya! You’re one of the best skaters out there and you can’t just let your spot on the podium go because you’re too harsh on yourself! We know you can do this!”

Satya’s eyes were the size of the moon. She expected this kind of talk from Liao but never from a girl she just met, nor a business partner. She finished her routine with a Biellmann spin as the music from the speakers ended in a soft hush, signalling the end of her performance. Lena’s eyes were just as wide as Satya’s during the routine and Mei continued watching Satya with worry consuming her. Did Satya hate her for what she said? Was she out of line? Should she have never said a word? It was too late to think of what she should’ve done and instead, watched on as Satya dropped to her knees in exhaustion. Drops of sweat fell from her forehead to the ice.

Lena cheered Satya on the same way Mei did last night. There were lots of jumping and cheering and, maybe it was Mei’s imagination, but she swore she saw a smile on the skater’s face as she stood up. And Mei so desperately hoped it was a smile for her.

Satya, more tired than ever, made her way over to the girls. It wasn't noticeable to the still cheering Lena but Mei could see Satya give a small nod to her. And the younger girl nodded right back.

"Are you okay?" the rink owner asked.

Satya nodded. She took a deep breath. "So," she began. "We have a lot to work on, don't we?"

Mei gave her a smile warmer than the sun. "I have all night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end of this chapter was actually supposed to be a lot more longer but its already 13 pages and i didnt wanna make it too long for u guys so i'm a bit disappointed but i hope it went well!
> 
> so we met lucio and hanzo (with mentions of torb and amelie's brother!) and learned some new skating terms so thats p exciting! i'm not sure where i'm gonna go with the next chapter but i'm glad i got this chapter done before the new year
> 
> happy holidays pals and hope you guys enjoyed!


	5. Coming To Terms With It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> early update? only because i wanna say "oh wow i havent updated in a year!"  
> jk i had so many ideas for the next chap that this was written in the span of two days  
> the rostelecom cup is coming up soon and its abt to get p serious over here friends so its time to put in some WORK  
> enjoy!

It had been a week since Satya asked Mei if she could practice at The Blizzard and it had been a week since Mei decided to change her ordinary life completely.

There was only one more week until the Rostelecom Cup and the girls were starting to feel a bit anxious. Satya would fly to Russia on the 16th to compete among the best for a spot on the podium and a shot at the Grand Prix. Mei, on the other hand, would have to stay in Watchpoint to make sure nothing happened at the rink. She could’ve gone to Moscow, if Satya ever decided to give the offer, but instead of waiting around or even daring to ask her, she decided to stay with The Blizzard for the weekend. Gabriel was much too busy, she didn’t trust Jesse or Genji with the keys, and Lena was more fidgety than usual lately to run it in her absence. Sure, she’d miss all the flashing lights and the paparazzi and even the chance to see Moscow for the first time, but this was her father’s pride and joy. Work absolutely came first to her, not Satya.

Mei sat up from her bed, tired of just lazing around and not properly enjoying her snow day. Although a nice vacation to Moscow for the weekend would be nice, the rink owner knew she had work to do and a reputation to uphold. Her father, probably enjoying himself in upstate New York doing whatever, would be disappointed in her if she let the company go down the drain. Besides, Satya would’ve never asked Mei to come along to Moscow. She knew that in her heart. They weren’t on the same level Satya and Liao were on. If she didn’t bring the Ecopoint rink owner to Skate America last year, she had severe doubts Satya would even dare buy her a plane ticket. She gave a sigh and walked downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. For once, she wanted to stop overthinking Satya and just calm down for a bit.

In the middle of making her eggs, her cell phone had vibrated on the kitchen counter. The lock screen showed a picture of Genji during their last high school homecoming game. He had dyed his hair blue and white, their school colors, and made a silly face at the camera, causing Mei to snap the picture and keep it with her forever. She smiled at memory and pushed her eggs aside. Mei didn’t expect Genji up this early, nor trying to call her at eight o’clock, but she didn’t mind.

“Forget to turn off the snooze button for the hundredth time?” she asked jokingly

“Ha, ha, ha, very funny,” Genji said, drily. “Are you busy today? Is The Blizzard still up tonight?”

Mei took a sip of her tea and put her eggs back on the stove. “Not sure. I don’t think I could even leave the house with this snow but I’m still gonna have to go later for Satya. Why?”

“I don’t know. I figured since you guys have been practicing all week that one of you would probably have a break,” Genji responded. “If she cancels because of the snow then you should come to Jesse’s house with me and Lena. I think Fareeha wants to have a movie marathon again.”

Mei gave a big smile at the thought. It’s been too long since Fareeha and Ana hosted a movie marathon party. “If the snow isn’t that bad and Satya cancels, I’ll definitely carpool with Lena. But only if.”

“Oh, how have things been going between you and Satya?” he asked. “Hanzo’s been dragging me out of the rink before I could even say a word to her. Is she getting warmer or colder?”

Mei put down her cup of tea and thought for a moment. What could she say? Her and Satya’s relationship couldn’t really be described by temperature. It was more like one day she was a hurricane and the next day she was a slight drizzle in Mei’s world that was full of sunshine. But how could she explain that to Genji?

“She’s gotten better towards me recently. She likes The Blizzard a lot more now and business has really been getting better with her around. My dad likes having her around more for the publicity.”

“Okay, that’s nice, Mei, but I meant it in a personal way.”

Mei groaned. “I had a feeling you meant it that way.”

She put him on speaker so she could put away her dishes. Genji continued to speak. “Don’t you have a crush on her anyways? Why are you trying to avoid talking about that so much whenever I bring it up?”

“I don’t know if I have a crush on her, Genji. It’s probably just admiration.”

“Mei, you talk about her _smile_ like it holds the cure for _cancer_.”

“No, I don’t!”

She finished putting away the plates just as the younger Shimada brother started to burst out in laughter. Mei hadn’t heard him howl like that since Lena first tried professionally ice skating at the kid lessons. Her face grew red like a tomato as she waited for him to calm down. She had half a mind to drive down to the Shimada Family Estate right now and smack him on his head but decided against it.

“Genji, I’m gonna tell Hanzo you’re being mean to me,” she joked.

“Oh, God, no. Anything but Hanzo.”

Mei smiled at the deadpan humor from her friend and thought about Satya for a moment. “I don’t really know what to call us, Genji. What _do_ I call Satya? I want to call us friends. I really do. But I don’t think she’ll ever see me like that. I think I’m just stuck being her business partner.”

“Hmm… why do you think that?” asked Genji.

“Because,” she started to explain. “She’s a _competitive figure skater_. The top of the top. I’m just a kid running an ice skating rink. It’s not like she’s gonna stay here after the Grand Prix if she wins or loses. She’s only staying till next month and she’s only gonna see me as that girl who took up a deal with her. That’s that. She has better people to date and stay with. Being with her is a one in a million chance that I probably won’t get and I just have to deal with that, Genji.”

“I never mentioned dating, Mei.” They were both silent for a few moments before Genji decided to speak up. “You don’t have to deal with that, you know.”

“Maybe we should just start off with just friendship first. I don’t wanna scare her off or anything. What if she doesn’t reciprocate my feelings anyways?”

Before she could stop herself, the words came out. And she swore she could hear the grin in Genji’s voice.

“So you do like her?”

Mei sighed. “Yes. I do.”

 

The last thing Amélie expected when she opened her front door was Hanzo Shimada holding a busted snowboard.

Her words her caught in her throat. She stared at him with wide eyes, looking like a deer in the headlights. He merely gave her a raised eyebrow and waited for her to break the silence. She stuttered and mumbled, looking everywhere but him as she tried to find something to say to him. The snow on her mother’s car in the driveway became oddly interesting to her.

“Amélie,” he said in a gentle and breathless voice, grabbing her attention.

“H-Hanzo,” she said, looking him in the eye. His piercing eyes frightened her and she found herself staring at the carpet beneath her. “W-what are you doing here?”

He raised the broken child sized snowboard in his hands. “I came to return something.”

She examined the winter gear in his hands. “That’s Adrien’s,” she muttered. She looked back at him. “Where is he?”

The elder Shimada merely stepped to his right to reveal the small boy behind him. Amélie gasped at his appearance. His left knee was bloody and he had a small cut on his forehead. His puffy winter jacket was ripped at the left shoulder and his jeans were slightly torn on both knees.The boy looked paler than usual and was shaking badly, causing a wave of worry to wash over his older sister. She rushed him and Hanzo inside and closed the door behind them, worried her little brother would freeze to death out there.

Amélie sat Adrien down on the couch in the living room and ran to the linen closet upstairs, Hanzo following closely behind. “ _Mon dieu_ ,” she said, looking for a thick and warm blanket to cover her brother. “What happened to him? Mother sent him to the park to practice.”

“And I guess practicing did not end well for him,” responded Hanzo. “I was walking through the park from class and I saw him fall down the hill. Caught him before he could reach the bottom.”

She pulled out the best blanket she could find and handed it to him. “Thank you for getting him.” The French woman ran into the room on the left and left Hanzo behind holding the blanket. She emerged a few seconds later with a heavy dark red sweater and tossed it onto the pile. “Go downstairs and give him this. I’ll see you around.”

Amélie went back into the room and a confused Hanzo stood in the hallway of the Lacroix house. He shook his head and entered the room to find her looking into Adrien’s closet. “That’s all I’m getting?”

She turned around to face him. “What? What do you mean?”

“I haven’t seen you in _months_ , Amélie,” he explained. “You fell off the face of Watchpoint. You haven’t been coming to classes. I just brought back your brother and you want to throw me back outside like it’s nothing?”

The younger woman looked at him like he grew another head. “Yes? You’re more than adequately dressed for this weather. What, did you expect a kiss for your good deed? Some type of payment? You really are like your father.”

“Amélie.”

She grabbed a hat from the closet and added that to the pile. She knew that stung. “If you want to stay then that’s fine. Just don’t expect me to talk to talk to you.”

The two walked downstairs in silence. The elder Shimada expected their reunion to go differently and hopefully slightly better since the last time they spoke. Amélie, however, was still colder than ever. Inside, though, she was feeling more awkward than ever. Humiliated even. The French woman didn’t expect to see him today. It made her feel so uneasy. Hanzo always saw Amélie at her best before the accident. She was always seen so prim and proper to those around her. Him seeing her now as a disheveled mess in a baggy long sleeve shirt and shorts was her feel uncomfortable. Him seeing her with even a lopsided ponytail just ruins her day. It reminded her of when he visited her in the hospital. And those memories hurt the worst.

When they reached the living room, Adrien was gone, causing Amélie to go into a panic. “Adrien?” she called out, worried he might have gone back outside.

“In here!” his tiny voice called out.

The two college kids ran to where he was, finding him in the kitchen with two cups of hot chocolate. The third cup was in the microwave being made. Adrien, still paler than ever and stuck in his ripped up clothes, looked at them with a big toothy grin on his face. They could see the missing gaps in his mouth.

“Do you like hot chocolate?” he asked Hanzo.

Hanzo looked at Amélie who merely raised an eyebrow at him. He then looked back at Adrien and gave him a small nod. “Yes, actually."

Adrien gave him and Amélie a mug before shooing them away. “I don’t have anymore. Go away.”

Amélie didn’t have to be told twice before dragging Hanzo upstairs, nearly spilling the hot chocolate everywhere on the carpet. “Be careful,” he warned her.

She rolled her eyes. “Be happy I’m even talking to you.”

“Truly honored, Amélie.”

As they made their way to her room, a wave of flashbacks came to the elder Shimada. Days of him and Gerard out late partying and having to drive him to Amélie’s house always brought a few chuckles to the man. Times of him, Hanzo, and Amélie messing around in AP Literature were always nice memories to look back on. As they entered the room, Hanzo was glad that she didn’t take down any of her old pictures or posters of shows the three went to in high school. He had feeling deep down inside that she wouldn’t change anything about her room. He was glad to see the old pictures of him, her, and Gerard were still up on the walls. He noticed Jesse or Genji were in a lot of the pictures as well and frowned a bit. He knew that even though they were friends, she was closer to his brother and that silly cowboy he loathed.

“You haven’t changed a bit,” he whispered to himself, still staring at the walls.

Amélie tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around and find her offering a cigarette. “You should take one.”

Hanzo took a good look at her as she laid down on her bed. Her room might not have changed but she really did. “I didn’t know you smoked,” he said in a low voice.

“Neither did I but we all change eventually.”

He took a cigarette and sat down on the bed right next to her.

 

Satya took advantage of Overwatch High School being canceled from snow and called Mei to come in early. With help from Liao, Mei managed to shovel and climb out of the snowy hell barricading her door and climb into the warm convertible with her business partners. She thanked them for not letting her walk and instantly put her attention on Satya. While the coach was all smiles as usual, Satya was quiet and looking out of it. She didn’t bother to say hi or even acknowledge Mei as she came in the car. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else and no matter how many times the rink owner would say hi or even initiate a conversation, it was all for nothing. Liao told her not to worry about it or that Satya was probably too busy thinking about the Rostelecom Cup to even focus. Dropping the subject, Mei nodded her head and the three drove to the rink in silence.

While it took a few tries to get inside due to the doors being frozen, the three made their way inside and began to set up for the day. Liao offered to zamboni the ice while Mei helped set up the music. As she set up the radio and speakers, she looked over to Satya who began to stretch. She so desperately wanted to make conversation with her but what would she say? She didn’t even think they were friends.

“I can see you staring at me, Mei,” Satya told her. “If you are going to say something, then do it already.”

Dammit. Already caught. “S-sorry. I was thinking about something else.”

Satya raised an eyebrow and began a butterfly stretch. “What is this ‘something else’ you are thinking about?”

Mei had to think fast. “U-uh… what Moscow would be like?”

Both girls didn’t even believe in that lie. Satya, eyebrow raised and still stretching, gave her a look. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine. You don’t have to lie to me.”  
“No, no, no, no, I’m sorry!” she said in a panic. “I just didn’t want to bother you about it. A lot has been on my mind recently and I’m sure a lot has been on yours too.”

Satya nodded and stood up. “The Rostelecom Cup. My skating career depends on winning that.” She started to put on her skates. “I’ve been thinking of other things too. My life back here, Seattle, making new friends… it is a lot to handle in only a few short weeks. A bit overwhelming actually.”

“Let’s handle it one at a time for now. Let’s start with winning the Cup.”

Once the ice was good to go, Satya made her way to the center of the rink with a fierce and determined look in her eye. Today was the beginning of hell week and the competition was slowly heating up. She needed to practice all she could before her flight to Moscow later that week. Mei could see her slowly get more and more comfortable in her routine as she began to look more loose and flow freely along with the music. Her arms began to hold straighter and her knees stopped locking up more and more. Of course, she would occasionally lose balance or not have enough speed to keep up with her jumps and beat herself up over it. There were times where she’d work herself so hard that she couldn’t breathe and her body was on fire. But Mei and Liao were there for Satya. The skater was learning. She had to stop hating herself for every mistake she made. She couldn’t falter now.

Her free skate was basically perfection and the short program was almost a flawless routine. Mei had high hopes for Satya. There was no way she’d land anything lower than gold or silver. She was going to win and she was going to get to the Grand Prix final.

And then Satya would celebrate her victory with her friends and family.

Then Satya would head back to Seattle and train back there for the next skating competition.

And Mei would be stuck in Watchpoint with a big heart and a voice in the back of her head saying “I told you so.”

A sigh escaped her lips as she watched Liao gave some advice to the skater on ice. He moved his arms up and she followed suit. Mei looked away long enough to pull out her phone and send a quick text to Genj saying she was almost done with the session. The session was only going to be another hour longer. After that, Mei was free for the whole night and she could think about something else other than Satya for once.

“Mei?”

She spoke too soon. She looked up to find a certain skater standing right in front of her. It’s like she couldn’t escape her. There were little sweat beads on her forehead and her prim and proper bun was messy. A few strands escaped and framed her face nicely. Mei still thinks that even in her disheveled state, she still looked like a queen. She almost felt envious of her.

“What’s wrong?”

Satya looked back at Liao then back at Mei. “We decided to end things an hour early today. The snow seems to be getting worse and you should be at home enjoying your day off.”  
Mei blinked, not understand what she was saying. “W-what? But what about-”

Satya shook her head and gave her that signature smile of hers. “Don’t worry about the competition. We all need a break every now and then. I’ll pay you for the full session, I promise.”

Mei couldn’t believe her as the girl walked away to the bench. A day off? She walked over to the older woman and sat down right next to her. “Are you sure about this, Satya? I don’t mind spending more time here. Honestly, I really don’t.”

“I know that, Mei.” She still had that smile on her face. “And I appreciate that. But you should go home. Spend time with friends or family.” She began to unlace her skates. “I should do the same, actually. I haven’t spent much time with them since I changed rinks.”

The building was silent as Liao left to put the radio and CDs in the car. The only noise was Satya’s gentle fingers untying the laces of her skates. Mei noticed how shiny her black shoes were compared to the rink owner’s boots. She took time to look at Satya’s sweaty face and her soft locks curling up at the ends. The skater didn’t even seem to notice she was being watched nor did she mind. After she was done, she stretched her arms a bit and watched Mei stand up and stand in front of her.

“Satya?”

“Hm?”

Mei chose her words carefully. “After the Grand Prix final… does this mean you’ll go back to Seattle?”

Satya stopped stretching. She crossed her legs and looked at her business partner. “Maybe. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not close to many people here, Mei. I’ll visit my family every other month or so but that would be it.”

Mei wore that all-too familiar disappointed look on her face again. She couldn’t bare to look at Satya. The carpeted floor seemed suddenly interesting to her. “Oh. I see. I had a feeling this was only temporary.”

She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Satya so close to her. Although the skater was only a mere four inches taller, she looked like she towered over her by so much. Mei looked at her in wonder, feeling like she did or said something wrong. Her face suddenly felt hotter, as if Liao came in and turned up the thermostat. She wondered if the ice would melt.

“You seem to forget I’m not just staying here for the Grand Prix.”

Mei widened her eyes. “You aren’t?”

“Why would I only stay a few weeks and then go back to Seattle?” asked Satya with a raised eyebrow, clearly finding this ordeal amusing to her. “I would think that wouldn’t make much sense, Ms. Zhou.”

“Then what are you staying for?” Mei questioned. She sounded so eager. “How long are you staying for? Another week? Two weeks? A month?”

Satya couldn’t hold back her chuckle any longer. “Trying to get rid of me that fast? I thought you admired me.”

It’s a lot more than that, Mei thought. “Then what would you stay here for?”

Satya took a deep breath and walked back to the bench to collect her skates. “Have you ever heard of the Four Continents Championships?”

Mei was about to shake her head no but remembered.

Their first session together.

She swore Satya’s grin got even wider as she spoke. “I knew you did.”

 

“Remember when Gerard made you drive us to Lucio’s concert in Grand Mesa last year?”

Hanzo groaned at the memory. “That was at least two hours of driving back and forth. I don’t how I didn’t fall asleep at the wheel.”

Amélie rolled over to her side. “I don’t know how I didn’t kill you from my constant singing throughout the night. I was basically shrieking the lyrics.”

“I liked your singing.”

The two college kids were still laying on the bed, swapping stories of the past as the hours went on. They finished Amélie’s first pack of cigarettes and began to smoke her second pack as more and more tales of their years and high school sprang up. Stories from Gerard’s mishaps to Hanzo trying to be the voice of reason and failing were brought up, causing Amélie to giggle and laugh harder than she had done in months. Hanzo hasn’t found himself this entertained in so long. The reunion was better than expected. They weren’t tearing at each other’s throats or pulling teeth trying to get Amélie to talk. Their time together was going pleasantly well. It was like catching up after a long winter break. A long, much-needed catch up.

Hanzo shook his head and sat up from the bed. He took a sip of the hot chocolate Adrien made them. “I haven’t smoked in forever.”

Amélie tossed the box in a tiny garbage can she owned. “Why’d you quit?”

“My father lectured me about it. Said it’s dangerous for someone as young as me to get addicted to harmful substances.”

The French woman sat closer to him and grabbed her mug as well. “Doesn’t he drink sake with his colleagues every night after work?”

Hanzo gave a humorless laugh. “Whatever he says, goes. I don’t want to disappoint him. He’s practically handing me my future on a dinner plate. It’d be a shame to ruin that.”  
Amélie could feel the mood shifting into something she didn’t want to feel. She didn’t want Hanzo to be upset at his family because it would only cause her to think of Gerard. Everyone is merely trying to stick together for all the wrong reasons and here she was, grasping at nothing. Before she could stop it, her good mood was fading away and she was getting back to where she was when Hanzo came through the door with that broken snowboard. She was getting back to the new Amélie Lacroix, the girl who lost so much. She missed the actual Amélie Lacroix, the one everyone loved and stayed with before her life went to shit.

“What have you been up to?” asked Hanzo, changing the subject. “You don’t come to class anymore. I expect you’ve been doing something.”

The French woman nodded, putting down her cup again. “I’ve been trying to find myself. It’s foolish, I know, but graduation took a toll on a lot of us. I’ve been going out by myself and just trying to get a hold of life now.”

“Genji misses you, you know."

“I know. A lot of people do.”

Hanzo sighs. “I hear him on the phone with that boy some nights. They talk about foolish things but sometimes, the topic goes to you. He swears he saw you at Hana’s party last month.”

“I was there,” she said, slowly. She closed her eyes. “I was with you.”

Hanzo sighs again. “We weren’t thinking right. Just let me finish, Amélie.” He takes a gulp of his hot chocolate. “But he keeps telling Jesse that he misses you. And he wished he said something to you. You’ve made a lot of people worried, you know.”

She put her head on his shoulder. “I have a habit of doing that.”

“And, although we weren’t that close, I missed you too.”

She opens her eyes. Amélie felt like her stomach was doing somersaults inside of her. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and it wasn’t because she was so close to the handsome man. It was because she was angry. She was hurt and irritated but mainly offended by his words. She shouldn’t be hearing this from him. She should’ve been hearing this from Jesse or Genji or Mei. She should’ve had Lena or Lùcio telling her this, or anyone else that she cared for deeply. Anybody but Hanzo. Anybody else but Hanzo.

She gave him a smile and laughed softly. “ _Casse-toi_.”

“Hm?”

“I said, ‘fuck off’”

Hanzo looked at her with confused eyes, wondering what he had done or what he said wrong in front of his former friend. “What? Have I said something wrong?”

Amélie, still smiling, brought her head up and looked him straight in the eye. “You don’t miss me.” She stood up and the smile vanished. “You don’t miss me one bit, Shimada. _Bon sang_ , you are just like your father. You’re a liar. You miss Gerard. You’ll never miss me because we were never close! All you miss is what Gerard used to give you and what he gave you was a chance to get away from your father’s shadow and your brother who’s just as fucked up as you are!”

She grabbed her box of cigarettes and took out a new one. She threw one at Hanzo, not bothering to light it up for him. He sat there in shock, not believing what was coming out of her mouth. “You… what happened to you? Why are you being like this?”

“Because I am tired of everyone telling me to come back. I’m tired of everyone saying they miss me when I’m certainly not okay with talking to anyone. I’m _grieving_ , Hanzo. I’m _hurt_. Does that mean nothing? _J’en ai ral le cul!_ ” She took a drag of her cigarette. “I need space. I need time. I can’t give you what Gerard can give you. I’m too different. I can’t just force a fake friendship and pretend that we’re all okay. That I didn’t ruin _everything_.”

The silence was too heavy. The tension was eating away at them. Hanzo processed Amélie’s words and let them sink into him. Amélie continued to smoke, not bothering to look at Hanzo to see the damage she did. She knew her words were venom to him and what she had said definitely stung him. There was no use in looking at him. She didn’t even think she could.

“You think you killed him, don’t you?”

Amélie could’ve gotten whiplash by how fast she turned to look at him. He could see how glassy her eyes had gotten while his were drier than a desert. She swallowed a big lump in her throat and put out her cigarette in a nearby ashtray. _Don’t_ , she told herself. _Don’t cry now._

She nodded at him slowly, afraid that she would burst into tears at any second. They never broke eye contact once.

“If I didn’t argue with him about college...” she started. “If I didn’t push him… If I just kept to myself, he wouldn’t have looked away from the road… we could’ve avoided colliding with the trees. He would still be here right now playing with Adrien or buying me lunch or just making things _so much easier_ right now. He was my first love. My first and only love. And it’s all my fault he’s gone. It’s all my fault, Hanzo. I’ll never forgive myself for that. Never.”

“Amélie.”

The French woman looked out the window. The snow was falling down slower now. Her driveway was completely covered in white. She could barely make out her car from underneath the snow blankets. She loved snowy days like these. On days like today, her and Gerard would take Adrien to the park to have snowball fights or make snow angels before it got colder. They were beautiful memories to her. They were memories that she hoped she would never give up. Now, the snow wasn’t worth going out for. What were snow days to her now that she had no one to share them with? They were only a nuisance to her. It just became a day to laze around and wait for the next day to come. A day that was hopeful better than the last.

“I think you should go home, Hanzo,” Amélie said, moving away from the window. “Your father is probably worried about you.”

He grabbed her wrist. “I could care less about-”

“No. Go home.” She took his hand and walked him out of the room. “I’ll see you around, Hanzo.”

“Amélie, wait!”

The door shut. And Hanzo Shimada was shut off from the world once again.

 

“Till February?”

Due to the weather getting worse, the group decided to cancel their movie marathon and instead hold a Skype session in the comfort of their own homes. A bad comedy movie that was playing in the background of all their laptops was paused to hear the news that was just told to them. Jesse, Genji, Lena, and Fareeha all looked at Mei with shocked looks on their faces.

Fareeha was the first to break the silence. “What do you mean that girl is staying till February? You said the Grand Prix is next month! The end of December!”

“Hey, who said you could be in my room?” Jesse exclaimed.

“Quiet, quiet! Mei, what happened?”

Genji was about to comment something inappropriate before Mei shot him a look, causing Lena to laugh wildly. Mei cleared her throat. “Well, it all depends on the Grand Prix final. If she wins, it’s more of a chance for nation governing bodies to select her to partake in the competition. She made it to third place in the Grand Prix last year and she told me they were stuck between her and another American skater because of her talent. I would seriously doubt they wouldn’t pick her if she won gold or silver this year.”

“So, what you’re saying is that if Satya makes it to the podium in December,” said Lena. “She could stay here with us to practice till February? And you can see her every day?”

Mei couldn’t hold back the smile on her face as she nodded to her friends. And Genji couldn’t hold back his cheer that could pierce the eardrums of all the people in Watchpoint.

“Finally! Fucking finally! You have a chance!” he yelled.

The group heard footsteps coming from Genji’s side. The door opened and out of the corner of the screen was a very sleepy and angry Hanzo. His hair was out of his usual ponytail and instead cascaded down his shoulders. Mei noticed how fit he actually looked when he was wearing only a muscle tank and shorts instead of five layers of jackets and a scarf. His dragon tattoo that Genji told everyone about finally made an appearance and Mei couldn’t help but look at the beautiful art in awe.

“Wow,” said Lena. “Lookin’ good, Hanzo!”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” joked Jesse. “How’s yer nose?”

Hanzo narrowed his eyes at him. “Don’t you dare, McCree.” He turned to Genji. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, brother, but it is midnight. You have school, I have a test, and father has an important case to take care of tomorrow. So, please, kindly keep your loud mouth shut so the rest of the house can sleep.”

He slammed the door shut as Lena waved him goodbye. Genji sighed and turned back to the laptop. “He really gets on my nerves. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Before anyone could say their goodbyes to him, he dropped out of the call. Jesse sighed. “Well, Mei, you mind telling us over our coffee run about this girl? I guess it is pretty late.”

Mei nodded. “Okay. Sorry our call had to be cut short.”

Lena waved off the apology. “Don’t, love. You’re fine. But I expect you to pay for my cappuccino for my overtime last week.”

“Ooh, cappuccinos?” asked Fareeha. “Can I get one too, Jesse? Please?”

Jesse groaned. “Get out of my room!”

The younger girl smirked at him. “I’m gonna tell Mom you were up late tomorrow.”

“You wouldn’t dare, honey.”

She smirked. “I fully expect a cappuccino with extra whipped cream in my hands before first period, _vaquero_.” She walked out of room with a skip in her step, causing Jesse to groan and put his head in his hands.

“Damn Reyes and his Spanish lessons. Hey, Lena,” he began. “Do you have a five I can borrow?”

The track star laughed. “Absolutely not. Goodbye, Jesse!”

He waved goodbye to the girls and dropped out of the call, causing the girls to be the only ones left. After a few more minutes, Lena said her goodbyes and ended the call, leaving Mei to herself in her room. The house was awfully quiet without her father around, making her feel a bit paranoid but mainly lonely. She turned off her laptop and the light and laid down in her soft and comfy bed. Despite how she felt now, she couldn’t have asked for a better night. A better day, even. A successful morning spent with Satya and Liao, training for the Rostelecom Cup and feeling more and more confident about the secured win made Mei feel full of joy. A night full of laughs and stories with Genji, Lena, and Jesse with Fareeha occasionally popping up every now and then.

Mei took off her glasses and put them on her nightstand. She then rolled over to her side and closed her eyes, hoping that when she woke up she could relive the day again. She could spend another morning with Satya and spend another night with her friends. She just wanted more time, enough time to hopefully get herself together and figure out what’s going to happen between her and Satya. Enough time to just let them be and let them have a less stressful life. That’s all Mei asked for.

“ _I’d recommend not being so stiff on your jumps. It’s probably the reason why your rotations aren’t as well as before._ ”

“ _I doubt fixing the rotations are going to help me achieve gold at the Grand Prix Final or at the Four Continents Championships,” Satya retorted as she took a lap around the ice. “I have a number of things to work on, Coach Liao._ ”

All she could think about that first session. Those words that she said to Liao in that tone of voice. Everything about Satya. Everything that she liked so much about her.

Mei had until the end of February to tell Satya how she felt.

She was too confident in her to think the about the end of December.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> symmeitra happening in the span on a month?? nah the four continents championships is on the way! but first we gotta at least make it to the grand prix.  
> so now you know what really happened between amelie and gerard and how mei really feels about satya which was amazing yet pure hell to write  
> sad amelie and mei are the worst amelie and mei  
> but lemme know what you guys think and have a happy new year!


	6. Rostelecom Cup 2016

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been so long and i apologize for that! i've been pretty busy with my school work and research papers and stuff like that to the point where it took me FOREVER to finish this chapter. sorry for the long wait guys :^(
> 
> but the rostelecom cup has begin and it's time to go! enjoy!

Moscow was cold.

Everything about Moscow was cold as ice.

Satya Vaswani was no stranger to travelling for competition. In all her years of competitive skating, she’s been to Bordeaux, Nagano, Barcelona, Osaka, and countless others to get her hard earned and well deserved gold medals. Some places held fond memories to her while others had made her shed tears on the podium, holding a gold medal. But while she had all these memories of all these places, Moscow held a special place in the skater’s heart. It was the first place she went to for competition. It was the first time she made it onto the podium, gladly holding that bronze medal for the world to see. Moscow was the first place she truly felt accepted into the figure skating world and where she first gained a small following of fans.

And it was going to be the first place where she blowed them away with a record shattering score and a gold medal.

Her one way ticket to the Grand Prix finals.

“Y’know, no matter how many times we come here,” said Liao, “I always underdress for the occasion.”

“It’s twelve degrees in Fahrenheit and you decided to come outside in a jean jacket?” she asked him, incredulously.

Satya and Liao were feeling restless that night after dealing with a thirteen hour flight. After sleeping for the entirety of it, they decided to walk around the neighborhood to shake out the pre-competition jitters. It was always their ritual when coming to a new city to try out some new food or go clothes shopping. They enjoyed being the annoying tourists for a day. The bright lights and the quiet people were almost comforting to the introverted duo. If Satya didn’t want to move back to Seattle to train, this would be the perfect spot to relocate. The view from their hotel and the food they ate were gorgeous, nearly breathtaking. She almost didn’t even miss Watchpoint.

Almost.

“I feel like I’m gonna die,” said Liao, shivering.

Satya rolled her eyes and tugged further on her fur coat. “Try not to. My medal depends on it.”

They went into a local boutique to shop for new hats and coats. Liao definitely took an interest in them and began looking. Fur, wool, and all others began to fall in his hands as he kept grabbing them, not even bothering to look at the price. “Have you called your mom yet and tell her we landed?”

“No,” she said, eyeing a pair of leather gloves. “She probably knows already.”

“What about Mei?”

Satya stopped and put down a blue hat she took a liking to. “Her? Why would I call Mei?”

Liao shrugged as he piled on a few more coats. “I dunno. Figured you guys would be friends at this point. Thought you would’ve called her instead of your mom.” 

He walked into an empty dressing room and began to try on the coats. Satya followed, staying right outside the door. “You consider us friends?”

“Of course,” he said, tugging on a purple leather coat. “I’ve known you since you were-”

“No, not us. I meant Mei and I.”

Liao exited the room, showing off his possible purchase. “What do you think?”

“It’s fine,” she said almost in an exasperated tone. “Can you just answer me?”

He shrugged once again and left to try on another one. “I dunno. You see her more than you see your own family. You talk to her more than you talk to me. I just figured, that’s all.” He walked out and looked at the mirror on the outside of the door. “You think it’s too tight? I think it’s too tight.”

Liao was right about Satya. She barely spoke to her family. Even though she was temporarily living with her parents for a few months, she only uttered a few words to them before isolating herself from the rest of them. Her parents were usually out working or spending time with her brother, the upcoming future tennis champion, while she kept herself busy on the ice. With a whole family full of athletes, they paid little attention to Satya and her sport and she paid the same attention back to them. She can’t remember the last time they sat down for family dinner or even went out together without bickering or her mother comparing the siblings. It really hit Satya hard when she realized she knew Mei more than she knew her own mother.

In the few short weeks that she’s known the rink owner, she could already list off what the girl was like. Mei was ambitious and compassionate. She had big dreams for herself and bigger dreams for the world. A bit over the top to Satya’s standards but they were still dreams. Hell, Satya didn’t even have faith in herself to be one of the top ten figure skaters in America but she made it this far. Satya believed that with all the negativity and harshness of her own self, Mei would’ve left a long time ago. And yet, she stayed. She became a cheerleader for the skater, something the two joke about every now and then. Satya spoke more to Mei in a day than she would ever speak to Liao in a month. It all hit the skater like a ton of bricks, oblivious to what was happening.

Liao was right.

She made a friend.

“Satya?” Liao called. “What’s the verdict? Is it too tight or no? I think I might put it back but I’m liking the wool.”

“It looks great, Liao.” She found herself giving a small smile. Baby steps. “Perfect, even.”

 

Mei was feeling like a nervous wreck.

It was 11:45 at night on Thursday and Mei took hours to think about when she should call Satya to wish her good luck. The only problem was actually debating if she should even call the girl. It was already 8:45 in the morning in Moscow and she knew that Satya would be up and at it early to stretch and be well prepared for the competition. Would it be weird to call her? Would it seem unprofessional or a bit out of line? What if Satya wasn’t even awake yet? She didn’t want to wake her up and make her too tired at the competition. All these questions were running in her mind and she felt like a mess. All these “what ifs?” and no actual answer. It was just a call. A simple call wasn’t going to kill her.  
She held her breath and she dialed Liao’s number. The rings were killing her.

“Hello?” 

She exhaled and tried to calm down. “H-hey, Liao. Are you guys at the rink yet?”

“Nah, we’re almost done getting ready,” he said. “I’m making a light breakfast for the kid so she doesn’t faint on ice. Bad scores, y’know?”

Mei found herself chuckling. “That would seem dreadful.” She heard herself echo through the phone. “Am I on speaker?”

“Yep. Just waiting for Satya to get out of the bathroom so she could say hi too.” She heard the faint sound of something sizzling. “So, is school canceled or something? Why’d you call? Isn’t it like 11 over there?”

She felt a tinge of embarrassment as she looked out the window. The sky was pitch black and she realized that she’d be a mess at school tomorrow even with coffee. She had papers to write and projects to present along with an ice rink to run in the afternoon. “Uh, no, I still have school. I-I had to wait for a decent time to call because of time zones. Well, uh, I just wanted to-”

“Who is that?” she heard a familiar voice say.

Her face flared up. She knew that voice. “Satya! Satya, it’s me!”

“Mei?” she questioned. Mei heard a muffled sound and a small beep. “Why are you calling? It is very late back there. You should be sleeping!”

The rink owner heard a small laugh coming from Liao as the sizzling sound stopped. She realized was off speaker and Satya took the phone. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. But I wanted to wish you good luck before the competition.”

Mei felt relief knowing she couldn’t look Satya in the face now. Giving calls made Mei nervous but talking to Satya felt like she was as hot as the pan on their stove. Even fire could describe her. Mei could hear in the background Satya thanking Liao for the food and a small second of silence washed over them. All she wanted was a response so she could calm down and forget she ever called.

Satya cleared her throat. “Why, thank you, Mei. It is quite kind of you to wish us luck before the competition. Especially so late at night when you have important matters to take of at school tomorrow. Truly comforting.”

The sarcasm dripping from the skater’s voice caused the genius to groan and hide her face in her pillows. She could even hear the smirk in Satya’s voice and Liao trying his best to conceal his laughter. Embarrassment levels went through the roof. Of course Satya would say something like that. Sarcasm was her second nature.

“Jeez,” Mei said. “It was hard enough to make the phone call. I didn’t think I’d be chewed out for it. Are you mad at me?”

Satya took on a gentler voice. “Of course not. It really is kind of you to wish us good luck at the competition today. We appreciate it.”

“But you really should go to bed, kiddo,” yelled Liao in the background. “We’ll tell you the results afterwards, okay?”

Mei nodded, even though the two couldn’t see her. “Okay, okay, I get it. You guys wanna get rid of me,” she joked. “But be careful out there. I know you got this Satya! I’ll be rooting for you back home”

“Affirmative. Thank you for the call, Mei.” 

“And Satya?”

“Hm?”

“Take it easy out there, alright? Don’t let a minor flaw ruin the day.”

Silence. Pure silence. Mei could hear Liao pull out a chair in the background and sit down. The distant sound of a fork scraping their plates was echoing in her ear. Satya’s breathing was barely audible to her. She didn’t even know if they hung up on her or not until Satya decided to speak up.

“Yes,” she said, slowly and softly. “I suppose we should be past that now.”

The redness in her face had faded away to a light shade of pink. The night had become suddenly calmer.

“I have faith in you, Satya.”

“I know, Mei. Goodnight.”

 

“The men weren’t all that bad, don’t you think?”

It was 6:25 pm in Moscow and the men’s short program had come to an end. Satya and Liao waited as the women’s free skate was about to begin. The opening ceremony was quite dull but nothing amused the two more than the screaming fans who threw teddy bears and roses onto the ice during the other sections. There were many skaters who finished their routines flawlessly and others who failed miserably. Satya lost count of how many people had either run to their coaches in tears or gloated their well known victory to the crowd. She watched on as the ice was finished being zambonied and looked back to the tv to see the judges talking about the men’s section. It was far more eventful than the ice dancers and pair skating sections. Only boredom came out of those routines.

“You must be joking,” Satya said, incredulously. “Kenshi Sato is one of the best male skaters out there. If Gustav Korshdei didn’t win gold then I hope he does.”

“I’m rooting for Javier Lorenzo, to be honest,” Liao told her. Those quad flips were amazing.”

“Stunning actually.” Satya didn’t want to take her eyes off the screen. She knew what was coming next.

Liao took a seat next to her. “Are you nervous?”

“The Vaswani family never gets nervous.”

“Satya. Are you?”

She crossed her legs and kept staring at the replays of the men’s free skate. She heard the announcement of the women’s free skate beginning. Lillie Elesa, a Russian skater and one of Satya’s idols began to take the ice. She couldn’t bare looking at the screen anymore.

“Yes. I am.”

Liao sighed. “Look, I know it’s hard going after Elesa. Hell, I’d be terrified too, but you have a bad habit of comparing yourself to others for no good reason. You can skate just as well as Elesa or Zinjun or any of these other girls out here.”

Satya took a peek at the screen. “Double Axel, double toe loop. Flawless introduction.”

“But yours is going to be better. You know it will.”

Elesa’s routine was catching the eye of everyone around and they moved towards the television. Some of the male skaters and even some of the female skaters Satya had to beat were sitting around them, watching as the Russian skater nailed her spins. The only thing that gave Satya some kind of satisfaction was Elesa falling out of her quad flip/triple toe loop combination, a move that would’ve earned her a lot of points. The crowd around the two gasped, surprised at the sudden fail in the otherwise perfect routine.

“Looks like Mei really did give you good luck, huh?” Liao joked.

Satya gave him a small smile as the routine came to an end and the judges began to talk amongst each other. “Perhaps she did. Maybe it’ll work for the others as well too.”

The two got up and made their way back to the ice rink, ready to face the music. Satya took off her jacket to reveal her outfit, a white skate dress with golden flower patterns decorating the sides and the entire left sleeve. She made her way onto the ice and took in the view. Thousands of people had occupied the seats and were staring her down, watching her every single move. She took a lap around the ice as normal as judges finished giving the score for Elesa. They announced Satya as she stopped in front of Liao, eager to hear her final piece of advice.

“Listen,” he said. “You’ve got this in the bag, kid. I believe in you, Mei believes in you, and all your loyal and dedicated fans believe in you. Loosen up, get lost in the music, and you’ll win that gold medal in no time.”

She gave him one quick hug before skating towards the middle of the rink. He was right. A lot of people believed in her. And it was up to her to not ruin that.

The music began.

And there she goes.

 

Despite the 4.0 GPA, Genji thought Mei was absolutely stupid.

Now, Genji, wasn’t the smartest person around. Sure, he might’ve done some stupid stuff in his life but he wasn’t as stupid as Mei trying to watch the Rostelecom Cup on her phone during English class.

“You’re going to get caught, y’know,” he warned her. “Ms. Adawe isn’t that daft.”

“Oh, so I’ll get caught watching the competition but you texting Jesse isn’t going to do anything?” she whispered incredulously.

“At least I know when to quit or hide it, Mei,” he said with an eyeroll. “Have your book out or something. Put your hair down to hide the headphone. Pretend like you’re contributing.”

She rolled her eyes but took his advice. She opened up her Hamlet book and pretended to take notes as she had her phone on her lap. There was no way she’d miss Satya’s performance. She saw the end of the last skater’s routine and was lucky she made it just in time for the next one she needed. Talking about Shakespeare could wait another moment or so. Mei just needed ten minutes and then she could go back to being the model student everyone knew her as. What if Satya did great and Mei missed it? What if she did poorly? Mei needed to know.

Satya took the ice and the crowd hushed. Her outfit caught Mei’s breath. She never knew what the skater was going to wear and it was never shown. The gold really suited Satya perfectly, she thought. It shined brightly on her skin and made her stand out more than anyone else. It was gorgeous. Beautiful even. Satya’s long black hair was pinned up in a little bun with two curly strands framing her face. She could’ve stopped all the hearts in the rink. Mei knew hers did.

The music had began and the short program routine had began. Mei remembered the classical-turned-upbeat bollywood tune from the last time they practiced. It was the piece she heard when Satya first skated at the rink. It made her remember their first Thursday together and how much Mei thought the day was a total trainwreck without her friends to help. She felt so uneducated about ice skating two weeks ago and now she was practically the ice skating dictionary. The music that was playing over their speakers was becoming so upbeat that she felt like dancing. Satya’s first half was going well. No trips, no falls, and no falling out of jumps. Mei didn’t think she's ever seen Satya this calm. She felt the music within her and lost herself with it. Every spin and jump was going perfectly so far. 

Nothing was out of place so far and that made Mei terrified.

“Zhou!”

Her head immediately snapped up. The routine kept playing and she heard the commentators from her headphones. “Yes, Miss?”

Ms. Adawe had her hands on her hips. “Can you and Shimada there come back to Earth and focus on this lesson with us? The Act 4 quiz is tomorrow, you know.”

The triple axel, triple toe loop landed perfectly, causing to calm down just the slightest. They were in the second half of the routine. This is where all the points came in. “Y-yes, ma’am. Sorry about that.”

Ms. Adawe went back to her slideshow about the play while Genji continued to text Jesse. Mei looked back at her phone to watch the rest of Satya’s performance. The doughnut and illusion spins were doing well. Another triple Lutz went by fine until Satya had to touch the ice. The camera cut to Liao who looked more nervous than Mei did. He looked a bit disappointed to see her fall out of the triple Lutz but looked even more nervous to see what would happen next. Mei knew she talked to Satya about being hard on herself but would Satya actually listen?

The camera cut back to Satya who looked less calm and focused on the music and more scared. It was a first for Mei to see Satya look like this. She expected more of an angry or annoyed look. A poker face would’ve been expected too. But scared? A borderline terrified look? This was something new for the three of them.

“Mei!”

She looked back up. The routine continued on. “Yes, Miss?”

Ms. Adawe looked a bit more annoyed than last time. “If I have to call your name one more time then I’m going to ask you to leave.”

In the few seconds it took Mei to process her teacher’s words and tell her she understood, the commentators and the crowd at the ice rink went wild.

Satya performed and landed an unexpected Quadruple Flip.

Her eyes went wide as she tried to calm herself down. She so badly wanted to get up and cheer and be in shock like everyone else but she couldn’t do that in her class. As soon as Ms. Adawe turned back around, her eyes were glued to the screen. Satya still had that terrified look on her face as she finished her routine with a layback spin. Roses and daisies were thrown onto the ice and Mei wished at the moment, she could throw a rose at her as well. Tiny teddy bears and cat plushies were thrown onto the ice as well and Satya even caught one of the cats. She waved to everyone in the seats and gave them a kind smile. She bowed and made her way off the ice to hear her scores and clean herself up for the cameras.

The stream began to show in slow motion the highlights of Satya’s performance and Mei took the time to actually pretend to focus on the material she was being quizzed on tomorrow. She looked over to copy Genji’s notes while he messaged Jesse back and forth. The genius had no idea how he didn’t manage to get caught but she felt rather envious at his sneakiness.

Just as class ended, the final score of Satya’s short program came in right when Mei was putting her notebook away.

She stared at the screen in awe.

 

“72.93! I still can’t believe it! 72.93, Satya, that’s incredible!”

Liao pulled a surprised Satya for a hug and twirled her around, despite her numerous amounts of protesting against him. She started to hit him on the shoulder lightly to try and get him to put her down but to no avail. Liao continued to laugh so hard to the point where tears would come out of his eyes while Satya wanted out of the embrace even more. As he held her tighter and twirled her faster, Mei began to laugh at the scene. Both their facial expressions through the laptop screen looked too hilarious to not take a photo of.

“Oh, come on, Satya! You’re in first place!” Mei exclaimed as she put her phone down. “You can’t tell me that you’re not excited.”

Satya finally released herself from Liao’s grip, ignoring the mock sad look on her coach’s face. “I am excited, Mei. I just hold it together better than _other_ people.” She sighed and sat back down while Liao continued to finish breakfast. “Trust me, I am very pleased with my scores and I’m glad I didn’t melt down during my triple Lutz.”

“Oh, wow, the day finally came where you listened to me.”

“I will end our business deal together, Ms. Zhou.”

Mei put her hands up. “Alright, alright, you got me, Vaswani,” she said with a light chuckle. “So what was up with the flip? I thought you didn’t want that for the routine.”

“I didn’t,” the skater admitted as she took a sip of coffee. “But I needed the shock factor and I needed those points to beat Lillie Elesa.”

“You’re four points away from Elesa and six points away from Natalia Rio,” said Liao, cleaning up the rest of the breakfast dishes. “Not making the podium seems highly unlikely now.”

“And what are the odds of you jinxing her luck?” joked Mei.

Satya shook her head and grabbed an apple. “It’s not luck anymore, Mei. It’s pure skill. I could have been partying in Tokyo with Natalia or making new enemies in Detroit with Lillie but I knew better. Hard work and dedication pays off.”

Typical Satya answer. Liao rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright, I know. I’m the greatest coach ever, I get it. Now, shoo and get into your costume already. We gotta leave soon.”

Satya nodded and left her apple on the table to change. Liao swiped it off the table and took a big bite out of it. Juice dribbled down his chin as Mei watched Satya grab her bag and hide in the bathroom. “Hey, Liao?”

“What’s up, kid?”

“Do you really believe in Satya?”

He swallowed and gave her a look before putting down his apple. “Do you?”

Mei seemed taken aback. “I-I dunno. I-”

“I’ve been coaching the kid since the junior Grand Prix,” the coach reminded her. “I’ve known her since she was only a child. I’ve even taught her how to do her first toe loop. Imagine a prim and proper seven year old giving me the side eye because she didn’t like how I did my jumps. Can you imagine a baby Satya yelling at me to lift my arms up higher to secure a good impression with the judges?”

Mei chuckled at the idea. She imagined a little girl in ice skates tinier than herself looking more bored than ever at an Axel jump performed by her future coach and best friend. “It seems like Satya hasn’t changed growing up.”

“No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong. She has changed and it’s for the better that she did, Mei,” he told her. “A Satya stuck in her own world all the time is not the Satya I wanted. Ever since she’s gotten back to Watchpoint, she’s really changed. She’s less introverted and hateful now. She’s back at her old stomping ground and her skating has improved tremendously.” He sighed and grabbed the apple once again. “I don’t know if it’s the people, her family, or just the fact that she’s growing up, but I’m proud of her. I really am.”

Mei watched him in wonder at his speech. “You care for her a lot, don’t you?”

“Who wouldn’t?” He stared at the ground before continuing. “I’ll always believe in the kid. I don’t have a reason not to.”

 

It was 7:30 at night and Satya could feel her lungs nearly collapsing.

Is this what fear felt like? Nervousness? The free skate practice was only beginning as all the women took the ice. The actual free skate program started in twenty five minutes and she could feel her legs shaking. She was going second once again with Rio going before her. She looked around the rink as she kept taking laps. An Italian girl whose name she forgot felt out of her triple axel and met the ice with a thud. Satya gulped as the crowd gasped. It was that kind of thing that made Satya fear for the worse.

As she got off the ice and the announcer began the free skate, she thought of what Mei said to her the night before. She was well aware of her attitude towards failure. It’s been knocked into her since childhood. Don’t fail or else mother will be upset. Don’t fail or else you’ve ruined everything. Don’t fail or there’s nothing left for you. And if Satya couldn’t be one of the best ice skaters in the world, then who would she be? Smarts could only take her so far in the world. Her talent was all she knew.

Natalia Rio took the ice in her fiery red skate dress. Flamenco music poured out of the speakers as Satya and the other skaters watched on in the waiting room. She sat down on the small couch near the wall with Liao as he went over some general tips for the program. She could hear him perfectly but Satya had a bad habit. A lot of bad habits. And right now, this was not the time to be stuck in her own head with her destructive thoughts. It was a time to focus on what Liao and Mei said. It was a time to avoid her mother’s thoughts.

 _If you fall down, it’s fine,_ she thought. It’s not over. It cannot be. Hold yourself against their attack. You will not die.

She kept telling herself the same thing over and over again as Natalia Rio touched the ice as she landed her triple jump. Not enough rotations. _You won’t die. You won’t die. You’re too harsh on yourself. You won’t die._

“Satya?”

Her breathing went back to normal as the skater looked at her coach, a bit shaken from her own thoughts. “Yes?”

Liao looked at her golden eyes for what seemed like centuries. Natalia Rio had just entered the second part of her routine. “You did it again, didn’t you?”

She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. “What have I done?”

“You didn’t hear me, did you?”

“I heard you perfectly fine.”

“Then what did I say?”

 _Dammit._ “You…”

Liao shook his head and rubbed his temples. “Dammit, Satya, I’d knew you’d do this. Ever since Limba fell out of her spin, I’d knew you’d feel iffy. You’re going to be fine. Your routine is perfect because you make it perfect.”

“There is still much to be done. I will correct my mistakes.”

“You have a funny way of showing correction. Beating yourself up to the point of tears is not correction. That’s pain.”

The two stopped their argument as soon as they heard cheering. Natalia Rio stood in the middle of the ice as cheers were echoing throughout the arena. Stuffed toy dogs and roses were being thrown at the Spanish skater as she wiped away sweat from her face. She glided slowly to her coach for a hug while the other girls in the waiting room discussed their competition. First impressions were always well received from judges. Satya stood up, tired of listening to the catty girls and left the room, eager to already take her spot on the ice. Just as Liao caught up with her, his student was met face to face with a sweaty Natalia Rio. Her smile was too uncomfortable to look at for more than a second.

“Oh, Satya, I didn’t know you were next,” she said in a heavy accent.

Satya raised an eyebrow at her. “Hm. It’s almost as if they didn’t give tell us the starting order for both days. Shameful.”

Unaware by the sarcasm, she smiled even wider. “Weird, right? Well, good luck out there!”

Rio walked away, leaving only Satya and Liao near the rink. As soon as the Spanish skater was out of sight, the anxious girl rolled her eyes and sighed. “Such a lack of imagination. A Biellmann spin won’t save her from fourth.”

Liao raised his eyebrows and he took off her jacket. “Confident now?”

“This is the order of things. I must become perfection.”

 

“I hope you know I’m not writing you a pass to Wilhelm’s class, dumbass.”

“You could be a little nicer about that.”

“I’m not writing you a pass to Wilhelm’s class, _pendejo_.”

“It’s not nicer in another language, Reyes.”

Mei was so caught up in the Rostelecom Cup stream that she forgot where she was. In the middle of a lecture on the judicial branch, she couldn’t stop herself before whipping out her phone and tuning into the second to last pair skaters. While she would admit that ice dancing and pair skating were boring, she couldn’t help but feel fascinated by single skaters. She would look up their names and learn more about them in her free time. Kenshi Sato and Javier Lorenzo were by far her favorite males. Satya was obviously her favorite female but she couldn’t help but let Yura Matsuda have a special place in her heart. Mei, caught up in the somewhat underwhelming performance by Natalia Rio, didn’t even realize the bell had rang and all her classmates were gone. She was wondering why she stopped hearing a certain weightlifter brag about how much she can bench more than Fareeha.

“I can’t believe you’re so glued to this crap,” said Gabriel. “Figure skating is just golf but more boring. Just because the girl you like is in it doesn’t mean it’s gonna be super fascinating now. It’s still the same old shit, Mei.”

Mei hushed him. “She’s finishing her performance now. I wished she’d done more than just toe loops. I think the nerves got to her.”

Gabriel snorted as he rearranged his papers. “I think all the coffee you’ve been drinking has gotten to ya. When was the last time you even slept?”

“I’ve been going a little over forty hours now,” she admitted, looking over to him. She felt even more embarrassed by his head shake and chuckles.

She hushed him immediately as soon as she saw Satya take the ice. As usual, she took a quick lap around the rink for testing and waved to her fans in the seats, receiving cheers loud enough to make Mei recoil. She noticed a little banner from two boys saying “Satya 4 Gold” which made her feel a bit happier inside. Gabriel walked behind her and sat down, bored due to having a free period and Mei ignoring him all day. He was visibly surprised at the packed arena and ran a hand through his curly hair.

“Jeez, I guess I was mistaken about the thing,” he admitted. Mei nodded along and continued to watch Satya. “So that’s her, huh? She... actually looks really great.”

Mei smiled. “I know.”

Instead of opting for something white and golden, Satya settled for a shade of light blue lace skater dress with black long sleeves. Her hair was set up in her signature bun with little curls on the sides of her face. The short dress elongated her legs, giving off a fancy and chic look to the already gorgeous girl. A blue dot was underneath both of her eyes, looking weirdly cute to Mei. The skater assumed her position in the middle of the rink and closed her eyes. The camera did a close up to her arms as the commentators took notice to the shaking girl.

“Is she always nervous during competition?” asked Gabriel.

Mei frowned. “No. She isn’t.”

The classical piece started to pour from the speakers and Satya began. The arena was more quiet than ever and all you could hear were the sounds of skates hitting the ice. Despite seeing the routine so many times, Mei continued to watch the girl in awe as the step sequence was performed with such perfect precision. There was beauty and grace in her movements as she poured her soul into the routine. Her triple Lutz and Axel were pulled off excellently and Mei felt herself becoming more nervous than Satya. She could see her knees shaking and the camera cut to Liao for a quick second. He was biting his nails, a bad habit he had picked up this competition season.

“Y’know, kid, I take my statement back,” said Gabriel. “It’s not the best sport but it’s a hell of a lot better than golf.”

“And a lot more nerve-wracking. I feel so anxious,” Mei responded.

The second part of the routine began with a Camel/Illusion spin. Gabriel had to keep asking Mei what all these moves were called and Mei had to keep shushing him, too absorbed into the routine to even talk. Another Triple Lutz with a Triple Toe Loop. Another move gone well and Mei started to feel confident in Satya. The frightened look on the skater’s face was slowly going away and was becoming her signature poker face. She began to feel at ease on the ice and at ease with herself. Her arms started shaking again. Satya’s entire body was hurting but she swore to herself that she would go through with her performance. Her medal depended on it.

But no matter how determined Satya looked and felt, there was no way she could’ve finished her sit spin. She exited out of it too early, a move that shocked Mei and confused Gabriel.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

“That was supposed to be a lot longer. She’s doing camel and illusion spins to make up for it.”

And indeed she was making up for it. Satya cursed herself for being so weak but continued on, knowing if she went any further with belittling herself then she would get nothing done. Another Triple Axel went by fine but Satya knew she needed her points. She would not settle for second or third place. Vaswanis were winners. Satya was a winner. Satya Vaswani had to be a winner.

And Mei knew Satya would think like this.

So after her Double Lutz and toe loop, she knew that quadruple flip was coming up.

Mei dropped her phone on the table. “I can’t watch this.”

Gabriel grabbed it for her. “What? Why not? This is your girl in the finale!”

The camera quickly cut to Liao with a knowing look on his face turning away from the rink. He too knew what was going to happen. Mei shook her head. “I’m too scared, Gabriel! It’s gonna kill me if I keep watching this! What if she doesn’t make it?”

“Mei, you gotta watch this!”

“No, I can’t!”

Cheers filled the room as Satya’s performance ended. The two looked at the phone once again to see a sweaty and exhausted Satya bowed in front of the audience then collapsed to her knees on the hard ice. She held her head in her hands as the camera cut to Liao calling her name. She looked up to find him grinning at her and she pulled herself together. The skater practically ran over to him as he scooped her up and twirled her around in a bone crushing hug. They were both laughing and they both looked close to tears.

“Did... d-did she...” Mei tried to begin, in shock of all the emotion happening.

The instant replay showed Satya’s attempt for the quad flip as Mei and Gabriel looked on in awe. While she had to touch the ice, she had enough rotations for it to count which landed her the points. Mei gasped and Gabriel widened his eyes and the two watched on as Satya and Liao sat down on the bench and awaited their scores. Satya’s head rested on a pillow on Liao’s lap, the skater near the brink of passing out. Mei paced back and forth, anxious to hear and see the combined score. Gabriel had to continuously drag her back to the phone to watch the stream but she was feeling scared.

The scores were announced. “Hey,” Gabriel called out. “Come here!”

Mei grabbed the phone and stared at the screen.

She could feel the world become silent as she took it all in.

There’s no way she wouldn’t call Satya now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooo boy i love ice skating but this chapter was so hard to write  
> i hope everyone enjoyed! not too much from other characters besides mei, satya, and liao but i brought back in poppa reyes so i hope i didn't let too many people down  
> so we're back to watchpoint next chapter and the aftermath of the rostelecom cup! who knows whats gonna happen huh?
> 
>  
> 
> also if anyone wants to talk about symmeitra or the figure skating au or anything in general then my tumblr url is elf-princesa :^) come hang


	7. Continue On In The Real World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a while and i'm sorry about that! some personal stuff happen and i couldn't really update or write the chapter for a bit. i still feel like it's not my best work but i really needed to continue on and progress the relationships better. time to take a lil break from competitive skating and go back to the normal life at the blizzard.

For once in her life, Satya didn’t want to stay in Moscow. She just wanted to get the hell out of there quickly and without any trouble.

“Y’know, you’re pretty ballsy for making us get a flight just as the conference ended,” said Liao as he buckled himself in. The plane was about to take off. “You’re lucky they let us in.”

As soon as the ladies figure skating conference and the awards ceremony was over, Satya immediately ran back to the hotel room to pack all of her belongings. While Liao was confused as ever by her actions, he followed along and made sure that they didn’t forget a thing while she ordered the plane tickets online. Her fellow competitors thought it was a bit odd for her to leave immediately after the ceremony and Kenshi Sato, the gold medalist for the males, even questioned her about it. While she would’ve felt honored to be speaking to one of her favorite skaters, she merely brushed him off and called for her cab. It would be typical for a skater in last place to leave this quickly but it was odd for Satya. It didn’t make sense one bit.

Satya rolled her eyes and took a sip of his wine. “I wanted to go home as fast as possible. Is that a problem?” She wrinkled her nose in disgust and set the wine back at his table. “Disgusting. Send in another.”

He took the glass and put it as far away from her as he possibly could. “You’re eighteen, kid. Too young to drink.”

“It’s Moscow.”

“And this is an American flight. The last thing I need is for you to go wild in first class and get us kicked off.”

Satya narrowed her eyes at him as he asked a flight attendant for some water for the both of them. She sunk back in her seat and looked out the window as they took off. The people of Moscow looked like ants to her. The buildings were becoming less and less intimidating as they flew higher and higher into the air. She wished she could feel the clouds at her fingertips and wind in her hair. One thing she always hated about competition was the flights. Satya couldn’t stay in one place for too long. She needed the cold air in her face and the ability to move around and do whatever. A thirteen hour flight was one of the things she dreaded most. You can’t move around much in a plane.

Satya took out her laptop and began reading through all her emails, eagerly trying to pass the time. She wanted more than anything to be in Watchpoint at this very second. She didn’t want to talk to flight attendants or make small talk with Liao. All she wanted was The Blizzard and maybe a good night’s rest on her bed. But for now, checking emails from sponsors and other important people would have to do.

The first thing that she noticed was a letter from a familiar friend.

**Mei-Ling Zhou**  
**To me**

_Hey Satya! Sorry for bothering you. I’ve been calling you a lot recently to see if you made it out okay or not. You and Liao haven’t really been updating me that much. And I get that it’s probably because you’re busy with the competition and all but I just get nervous sometimes haha._

Satya shook her head. Typical of Mei to constantly worry about her. She was just like Liao. Amused by the letter, she continued to read.

_The Blizzard has been pretty quiet without you here. Business has been going smooth as usual. Lena and I have been trying to catch up on the competition during school to stay in the loop. Your performances were spectacular, Satya! I’m so amazed by your talent. I’m sad to say that I couldn’t watch all of your final performance. All the streams aren’t working :( but I heard from some people that you did fantastic. I don’t doubt them._

_I didn’t want to text you and ask about the scores. I felt like that seemed unprofessional. I prefer you breaking the news to me in person or even in a call. I just wanted to hear from you. It seems more real that way. I’m sorry if this email seemed unprofessional or anything. I just wanted to check to see how you were doing. Call me if anything._

_-Mei_

As soon as Satya finished the leader, she smacked her forehead in realization. Liao, fixated on the clouds out his window, jumped at the sudden sound in the quiet plane. “What? What happened?” he asked. “Did you forget something in the room?”

Satya shook her head. “Mei.”

Liao raised his eyebrows. “Mei from The Blizzard?”

“Is there any other?” said Satya in annoyance. She set aside her laptop and looked inside her bag.

“What about Mei? Is she okay? Did something happen?”

She shook her head once again and she dug out her phone. Ever since the second day of the competition, she hadn’t been speaking to the rink owner or telling her about her scores. Satya had been so focused on the competition that she hadn’t been speaking to anyone that wasn’t Liao. She watched the judges with him, she theorized with him, and even attended the conference with him. Satya hadn’t even spoken to her parents. Mei completely slipped her mind. And while she wasn’t at Liao’s level of importance, she still owed her an explanation about what was going on or if she would ever come back to The Blizzard again.

“Did you call Mei and tell her what happened?” she asked him as she searched her contacts for the girl’s name.

Liao shook his head. “No,” he said with a confused look on his face. “Was I supposed to call her?”

She put her phone down and gave him a look. “Well, obviously, yes. She should know if we’re keeping our business deal or not. We can’t just ignore her, you know. We _are_ paying her.”

The coach went back to staring out the window. “She didn’t watch the stream? Or look up your scores?”

Satya started to write a text message to Mei. “She goes to school, Liao. Education is much more important than skating.”

“You didn’t seem to think so.”

Satya rolled her eyes at him. “My story is completely different from hers. Don’t try and mix that with her. You know what I meant.” She finished her text and set her phone down. She didn’t look at him as she grabbed his glass of wine. “I will finish school eventually. I promise you that.”

Liao nodded as he grabbed the bottle to fill her cup up. “And college?”

Satya looked back at him. “I will start that as well. I’d like to be as educated as everyone else. Maybe getting out of figure skating would be a wise option.”

“Who knows, kid. You could be like Mei and run an ice rink. When I quit skating, I ended up being a coach. This lifestyle really sticks with you.” He took out his water bottle and took a sip. “What did you tell the other kid?”

“I’ll meet up with her tomorrow morning to discuss our arrangements.”

Liao went back to the window. “I still don’t understand why she couldn’t look up the scores online.”

Satya followed his lead. “It feels more personal face to face. I understand completely.”

“I think that wine is getting to your head, hun.”

 

“Has Satya landed yet?” asked Genji.

Mei jumped, not aware of the younger Shimada’s presence. He snuck up behind her desk and nearly got a slap to his face out of shock. “Oh, jeez, Genji. Don’t do that to me!”  
He couldn’t help but grin. “Sorry. I’m used to doing that to Hanzo back at home. You both get so scared by it.”

“I’m scared by it because I’m trying to do paperwork! I didn’t expect a heart attack!” she exclaimed as she turned away from him.

Genji shrugged. “Sorry about it. But, did you hear anything from her yet?”

Mei shook her head. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t heard anything from her since the free skate. She just stopped calling or messaging me. And I get it because she’s probably busy with the interviews and partnerships or, hell, even practicing for the next competition she’ll get to. Maybe she isn’t talking to me because she’s on the flight back home now or maybe I did something wrong. I heard a lot of skaters don’t usually leave until the day after the awards ceremony. So, no, Genji, I haven’t heard anything from her yet.” She sighed and shuffled her papers. “Ask Hanzo. She’s probably been talking to him more than me.”

The green haired boy took a good look at his best friend. He wondered if the bags under her eyes were because she was studying too much or because she couldn’t sleep. Was it because of Satya? Mei has had plenty of crushes before. What made this girl any different? He didn’t know. What he did know was that Genji couldn’t just pat her on the back and say everything was going to be fine because he didn’t know that. He promised Mei that he wouldn’t look at the scores so he didn’t ruin it for her. He couldn’t say that he understood what she was going through because he didn’t have a crush on a competitive figure skater. He didn’t even know what his situation with Jesse was even called. Genji already had enough problems. Just imagining himself in Mei’s shoes was terrifying enough.

“Look,” he said. “First off, I’m not bothering Hanzo for anything. You’d have to pay me to listen to that condescending tone.” That comment earned him a little giggle from Mei, something that cheered the both of them up. He pulled himself up and sat on her desk. “Second, I sincerely doubt that you did something wrong. Unless you somehow sabotaged her then you are completely in the clearing.”

It was silent for a few moments until Mei slammed her pen down on the table, shocking him. “Oh, my gosh, I totally sabotaged her!”

“I sincerely doubt it, but sure.” Genji hopped off the desk and stretched. “Well, after work, I was thinking the four of us could head to Jesse’s place. Ana is gonna be out for the night so I figured we could just stay there and then head to school tomorrow morning.”

Mei nodded. “Yeah, that would be nice. Let me walk home to get my stuff and we’ll be okay.”

“You mind telling Lena before we close up? I gotta talk to Jesse about something.”

She shook her head and Genji walked over to the cowboy’s station. Jesse’s tan skin looked paler than usual and the boy looked like he was dozing off. It was as if no one in the rink had gotten a full night’s rest in forever. Genji waved a hand in front of his friend’s face. No reaction. He looked to Lena for help but she merely ignored him to help a girl out with balancing herself on ice. The younger Shimada brother wondered what her deal was with him recently. He brushed it off and removed Jesse’s hat from his head. Still nothing.  
He moved in close to the side of his face, stirring Jesse the slightest bit awake. “W-wha? Genji?” the rink attendant murmured sluggishly, trying to become aware of his surroundings.

Genji leaned in close to his ear, feeling the warmth from his friend’s cheeks. With a sly grin on his face, he yelled. “McCree! Wake up!”

The cowboy jumped back and hit his head on the skates behind him. Mei turned back to see Jesse rubbing his sore head and shook her head at the boys while Genji clutched his stomach as his laugh overpowered Lúcio’s music playing on the speakers. Lena continued on skating with the pretty girl, not bothering to look at the boys and instead tried focusing more on gliding on the ice. Genji wiped the tears from his eyes as Jesse lightly smacked him in the shoulder, annoyed and slightly embarrassed by being awoken in such a manner.

“Can you quit it?” he grumbled. “Can’t a guy jus’ sleep on the job for once?”

Genji desperately tried to calm himself down. “I’m sorry,” he said between laughs. “It was just really funny. You’re still red too.”

Jesse looked away from his crush. Those blades on that set of ice skates looked pretty dull. “Yeah, yeah, it’s shock or whatever. What do ya want?”

Genji lifted himself onto the counter and took a seat. He watched on as Lena laughed along with the pretty brown haired girl and Hana struggled to keep her balance with Aleksandra. It was an overall smooth night at The Blizzard. Perfect night, actually. “I just wanted to know if you wanted to get breakfast tomorrow.”

The tanned cowboy raised an eyebrow. “Ain’t that usually our thing? We’re inviting Mei and Lena too?”

The green haired boy shrugged. “Why not? I like our time together and all but maybe we should spend more time with our _other_ friends too. You can’t keep me all to yourself, you know.”

Jesse frowned. He loved having his mornings with Genji. He loved seeing his eager and happy face combined with his bright green hair. That hair was the shade of the grass during summer and it was the softest thing Jesse had ever touched. It was the first thing he noticed when Genji picked him up for school. It wasn’t the coffee in his hand or his smile that could melt the heart of anyone nearby. It was his hair. Having his mornings with Genji ruined was already one thing on his list that he didn’t want to deal with. Jesse didn’t even have the heart to tell him that his motorcycle was fixed weeks ago. He just wanted an excuse to be near his crush to perk his day up a little more.

But who was Jesse kidding? This was a long shot to begin with. He had a better chance of dating Sombra, or whatever her real name was. Genji Shimada was out of his league.

“Well, what if I wanted to keep ya all to myself, Shimada?”

Genji turned to the older boy. “Then I’d say you were a very selfish man.” He checked the clock behind the counter then jumped off. “Twenty to closing. How about tomorrow morning you and I grab breakfast for everyone together? Everyone wins.”

Jesse didn’t want everyone to win but he realized what Genji was saying. He shrugged. “Alright, darlin’, that’s fine with me. Make the closin’ announcement then get dressed. I’ll call Fareeha to pick us up.”

The door opened and the younger boy groaned as he turned around. “Really? There are no les-”

The rest of his sentence never left his mouth. He didn’t expect to see Satya Vaswani and her coach in the doorway this late.

And by the look on Mei’s face, neither did she.

“Oh,” whispered Genji, soft enough for only Jesse to hear.

Everyone was frozen until Jesse nudged him in the arm. “I’d make that closin’ announcement now, Genji.”

 

It was shinier than she imagined.

Mei stared at the medal in fascination, amazed to look at it. She felt honored to even stand near it. It was perfectly cut and as bright as the sun. She could see her reflection so clearly in the medal and felt the need to at least touch it at least once. With Satya’s permission, she carefully grabbed the medal to give it a good look. The skater moved closer due to the blue strap holding it wasn’t long enough. Mei felt like it was a dream. Satya’s name was engraved smack dab in the middle of it and the rink owner gently traced over it with her own fingers with a look of pure wonder on her face.

This was it.

This was her medal.

“You… you…” she murmered.

Satya nodded. “I’m assuming you can’t find the words to say it so I’ll say it for you: _You won._ ”

“As a matter of fact, you won gold,” Liao bragged.

It was silent for a few moments as Mei looked back and forth from the gold object to the gold medalist. Genji, Jesse, and Lena all watched on, anxious and eager to see her next move. The rink was silent to the two girls. Lúcio’s album was only muted background noise. It was just the rink owner and the competitive skater now. It was their time for celebration. It was only their time.

“I’m so proud of you!” she yelled before she jumped into the older girl’s arms.

Liao stepped back just as Mei jumped into a surprised Satya’s arms, impressed that his student even caught the other girl. Shock was worn so well on her face while Mei continued to go on and on about how she knew Satya would make it and how well the performances were. Satya, shock and confused by the act, merely held the shorter girl and listened to her go on and on about her support. She looked to Liao then Genji for support but received nothing and was forced to hold Mei. But as much as she wanted to hate holding Mei, she felt amused by it. Satya could hold back an amused grin but she couldn’t hold back what she really wanted to think.

And she thought this was sweet.

Every time Satya thought of Mei, she thought she was warm. Yes, the rink owner was a bit awkward and anxious whenever they spoke but there was more to the girl than that. She was respectful and kind to Satya, not to mention always making sure the skater was always okay with the final decisions. She was sweet and cheerful and never stopped trying to put a smile on Satya’s face. Mei was the unofficial “cheerleader” and probably one of the nicest people Satya ever had the chance of meeting. 

She wasn’t used to this much praise from people. A simple congratulations from Laio was just fine to her. Getting a “best wishes” card from her parents seemed unlikely as hell. Sure, she had a fan club and thousands of supporters, but she didn’t know them. They were people behind a screen or people in a crowd. Mei was real and Mei was right in front of her telling her things that she’s already heard in her lifetime but it felt so much better coming from her. It felt more personal, more intimate, more real to her.

The word real kept repeating in her head. Her heart was beating too fast for her liking.

“When do we start?”

And she was brought back down to Earth.

When was the last time she really took a good look at the girl?

Was she always this bright and happy?

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Could you repeat all of that?”

Mei nodded and fixed herself up, stepping away from Satya. “I asked if you were staying here or not for the Grand Prix training. Are we going to be starting soon?”

Satya took a look around the room and settled her eyes on the three teens standing behind her. She could tell that Lena had just gotten off her shift as her face was covered in sweat and was beet red. There were numbers written on her left arm with a little message but she couldn’t quite make it out. Jesse’s hair was a bit ruffled and he kept checking the time on his phone every few seconds. Her personal favorite of the group, Genji, was the only one to look at her with his ever-so-confident and friendly eyes. She noticed he was holding onto both Lena and Jesse’s arms but had a stronger grip on the other male. Satya raised her eyebrow at this and then turned back around to Mei, who was still waiting for an answer.

“Uh, Satya?” the younger girl asked. “Is everything-”

“Am I keeping you from something?” the skater asked.

Mei seemed taken aback. “What?”

Satya gestured to the three standing behind her. “They are still here waiting for you. You closed about three minutes ago. Do you all have something you need to be attending or are they your ride home?” She walked over to the doors. “It’s not snowing for once. You could perfectly walk home if you have some kind of protection like mace or something of the sort. Unless something was supposed to go on.” She turned to Genji. “Genji, was there anything you all had planned for the night?”

It was the younger Shimada’s turn to be caught off guard. “Oh, um, we were all planning a, uh, little get together at Jesse’s place. You know, movies and popcorn. Just the four of us. You could join if you-”

She waved a hand at him. “No, no, it wouldn’t want to intrude. It’s your party. Not mine. Have common sense.” She walked over to Mei again, holding the medal in her hand. “I have caused you to be worried enough this weekend and I apologize for that.”

Mei quickly shook her head. “No, Satya, honestly, I-”

“I do not need you to be worried for the rest of your night. We will speak about our arrangements tomorrow, understand? My skating and our agreements can wait another day. After all, we do have until the end of December.”

Those words hit the both of them like a ton of bricks. They had more time left. Limited time, but still time. Time to figure out what the hell this was.

It took a few seconds for that to register in Mei’s mind but she understood regardless. She looked to the ground then back at Satya and nodded. “Tomorrow afternoon. Four o’clock. Don’t be late.”

Satya nodded right back at her. “Enjoy yourself.” She looked at Liao and the two both left The Blizzard for their car.

As the drove away, she could see Mei out of the corner of her eye smiling wider than she’s ever seen before as Genji began to say something she couldn’t hear. Lena patted Mei’s back and Jesse ruffled her hair as they left the building. The car turned down the road and she lost sight of the group and The Blizzard began to fade into another one of the other buildings stuck in Watchpoint. Satya gripped her medal tighter. She began to berate herself for not talking to Mei sooner. _Imbecile,_ she thought. _You cannot just think of yourself. You cannot isolate yourself like this forever. Grow up._

_Grow up, grow up, grow up_

“Hey, Sat?”

She was pulled out of her thoughts once again. “What is it?”

Liao looked at her from the window frame. “We had plenty of time to talk to Mei, y’know. Why’d you brush her away? I thought the whole reason of coming home early was for her?”

There it was again. The fast beating of her heart. It made her sick. “I did not pick the earliest flight just for her. I have a life outside of her and you know that. I wanted to come home early so I could be in my bed and my own country as fast as possible. It was not for her.” She took a deep breath and looked out the window. The flashing lights of buildings and cars she passed by looked more interesting to her. “Besides, she has other friends and acquaintances besides me. I’m sure she would rather be with those three instead of discussing business with me. It was rude of me to suddenly drop by like it was nothing. I should’ve waited until tomorrow afternoon.”

It was quiet between the two as her coach processed what she said. Liao didn’t look convinced but nodded his head. “Alright, kid. I understand you.”

“I’m telling you the truth, Liao. No need to think I’m lying.”

It was partially the truth. It still counts, right?

Liao smirked. “I didn’t think you were.”

 

Around one in the morning, Mei was the next one to pass out in the living room, leaving only Genji, Jesse, and Fareeha stuck watching the cheesy action movie one of them had found on Netflix. Fareeha shook at her head at the older girl’s head bobbing, fighting to stay awake, then finally dropping down. Lena was the first one to knock out on the ground around eleven at night. She didn’t even make it past the s’mores that the boys planned on making. Fareeha took out her markers and was so eager to draw something on her forehead before receiving a glare that Jesse copied from Ana. She backed away, put the markers back in the drawers, and sat herself down in what was once Lena’s seat on the couch.

“Damn,” the cowboy said. “Another one bites the dust.”

“Shouldn’t you go to sleep, Jesse? It’s pretty late,” mentioned Fareeha.

“Hey, the college visit to Watchpoint is tomorrow. I’d say sleep is more important to you than it is to me.”

Genji took a bite of his s’more. “Amari, you’re a junior anyways. Why look at colleges so early?”

The younger girl shrugged. “Mom wants to see if there’s a possibility of me graduating early this year. I already have all my credits and everything so it seems only fair. I just don’t have the heart to tell her to hold off for a few more years.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I wanna join the military.”

Jesse laughed. “Good luck tellin’ Ana that. Do ya wanna wear that eyepatch too, captain?”

Both Fareeha and Genji smacked him both of the arms. “It’s not funny, Jesse,” she said, “I have no interest in college right now. Mr. Reyes really helped me think this through for the past few months and I feel totally confident about this now. I just need some help telling Mom.”

“When do you feel is the best time to tell her?” asked Genji.

Fareeha sighed and went back to watching the movie. “Well, we wouldn’t know for sure that I would be graduating early until the end of January. But with all these AP classes and good scores, I’m practically a senior. But the parent consent thing is what I’m most worried about.”

Jesse stood up and made his way to the kitchen. “Reeha, you know how Ana feels about the military. You know how she feels about us even bein’ in ROTC. Sure, she has some good memories ‘bout her time there with Morrison and Reyes but that’s all they’re ever gonna be. Just memories.” He came back with a handful of mints and a glass of juice. “Do you think she really wants her daughter to go through what she went through? Think a lil bit, girl.”

Fareeha frowned. “Yeah, what do I know? Big dreams and all.” She stood up and dusted crumbs off her lap. “I should probably head to bed. Sorry about all this.”

Genji shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Talk to us any time.”

She forced a smile and headed up the stairs to her room, leaving the two boys alone on the couch. The movie on the television screen was ending and there were only a few explosions left before the main character could save the day and get the girl. Genji was only paying attention to some of it, getting too preoccupied with pointing out the flaws of the movie and playing with Jesse’s hair. Jesse, on the other hand, was trying to distance himself more and more away from Genji, not realizing the green haired boy was practically on his lap. He asked himself if the younger boy was this close to him when Fareeha was here. Jesse pushed the boy away and moved himself towards the kitchen again. Genji, confused by the disruption, followed him.

“Was I being annoying?” he asked.

Jesse took another handful of mints. “Nah, I just wanted something to ease my nerves. I’m tryin’ to quit smoking.”

Genji chuckled. “And you think drinking whiskey is going to help?”

“How’d ya know it wasn’t juice? Reeha can’t ever tell the difference.”

“Have you met my family?”

They shared a laugh as they watched the rest of the movie from the dark kitchen. The story ended the same way all of them did: a couple of car crashes, lots of money, and getting the girl at the very end. Both of the boys shook their heads at the ending as the credits came on. 80s rock music softly filled the room. Genji looked over to Jesse who was watching the names pass by in boredom. The cowboy turned away and refilled his drink while the younger Shimada brother continued to watch. Out of the four years he’s known him, Genji never realized how much taller Jesse was than him. Or messy his hair was. Or how kind he was to always know that Genji always wanted a cup of “juice” too. Or even how Jesse knew Genji like a book.

Genji propped himself onto the counter and took a sip of his whiskey. “Not too bad, Ana. She has good taste.”

“You know we have stools, right?” mentioned the cowboy.

“Chairs are for commoners.”

“Ouch, darlin’. That’s my heart you’re breakin’.”

The boys took another sip of their drink and continued to watch the credits roll by. Even with the soft 80s music playing in the background, the house still felt quiet. They could hear the light snores coming from Lena and hear Mei constantly tossing and turning. Fareeha’s light was still on but she made no sound upstairs. The last ones left were Jesse and Genji and both knew they had to eventually sleep. Having a six o’clock wake up call and still being awake at nearly two in the morning wasn’t the best idea.

“Maybe you should apologize to Fareeha.”

He thought about it for a bit. “Probably. 

Genji swung his legs back and forth and stared at his cup silently. Jesse didn’t fail to notice. “Somethin’ on your mind?”

The green haired boy shook his head. “Just thinking about these past few days. School, college, relationships, and all that other stuff. Typical things.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

The younger boy sighed. “What do you think is going to happen after graduation?”

Jesse laughed. “We deal with a pilot, a married ice skating couple, and we take ‘em to go travel with us. I thought we already planned this.”

“No, we did.” He finally looks up. “Do you really think Satya feels something for Mei?”

The cowboy shrugged. “Who knows? Mei’s too scared to actually tell the girl somethin’ and who knows what Satya’s thinkin’ up there.” He takes a sip of the whiskey. “They’re one pair of odd friends. Or whatever they are.”

“Do you think we’ll end up like Mei and Satya?”

Jesse froze. “We?” he asked.

Genji began to say something but shook his head. “I don’t know. I just saw a lot of ourselves in them.” He gave a dry laugh. “I’m just being foolish. It’s probably the whiskey talking.”

“Genji, you had two sips.”

“And in the span of two seconds, I have magically become a lightweight.”

Genji hopped off the counter and began to walk out of the kitchen before Jesse grabbed his arm. He turned around slowly to be face to face with the older boy stuttering and trying to look for the right words. Even in the dim light, Genji could see the faintest bit of blush on Jesse’s tanned cheeks. If his heart wasn’t pounding out of his chest now, he’d tease the living hell out of his friend.

“Do…” Jesse began. He shook his head. “Did you wanna end up like Mei and Satya?”

Jesse’s hand dropped from Genji’s arm. The younger Shimada rolled his shoulders back and looked away from the boy in front of him. Eye contact was too hard. “Who knows what’s going to happen to them.”

“You know what I meant.”

“And you know what _I_ meant.” Genji walked towards the stairs. “I’m sleeping in Ana’s room tonight. The couch really hurts my back and we have gym tomorrow.” He stopped at the kitchen doorway, knowing full well that Jesse was right behind him. “Can I tell you something?” he asked, quietly.

“What is it?”

“I know Satya is a bit of a sheltered girl, but she really is sweet,” he said. “I’ve never seen Hanzo talk about someone so highly before. And when I first spoke to her when she came in, I knew she was amazing. So, I hope Mei and Satya end up getting closer. There’s no one else I can really see for her.” He looks down at his shoes. “I think we have a shot.”

He turns away from the doorway and quickly gives a hug to Jesse, startling the boy. “Genji...”

Genji pulled away. “Do you understand what I’m saying to you, Jesse McCree?”

“N-no, not really?”

The green haired boy couldn’t help but give a small laugh and shake his head. “I’m saying that they’re a perfect match together. I’m saying that they’ll definitely work. We just need to give them time.” He walked towards the stairs. “I’m saying that I want to end up like them. I want us to end up like them.”

And for some reason, it hadn’t hit him until Genji began to go up the stairs. “Wait! Are you-”

“Jesse, it’s two in the morning. I’m going to bed.”

Before the two of them could talk anymore, the door slammed shut and the house was completely quiet, leaving Jesse in his own thoughts. The sounds of Lena snoring and Mei moving were completely absent to him. His body was frozen in the middle of the Amari kitchen. He felt like he couldn’t think or even talk. Everything stopped moving for him.

He could be crazy but he was 100% sure Genji Shimada had feelings for him.

This was _real._ It wasn’t a joke. It was _real._

The world continued on once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> symmeitra with a side of mcgenji is the new meta  
> hope you guys enjoyed!


	8. First Time For Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol what's a proper update schedule  
> sorry for the late update guys! school has been really hectic lately and writers block has been such a pain for me. this chapter was rewritten 6 times and i feel like if i rewrite it one more time then i'm gonna explode.  
> also thanks for 1000 hits! means a lot to me :^)  
> enjoy!

“You’re in a cheerful mood today.”

Jesse flinched, surprised by the sudden appearance. “What the hell? Sombra, what are you doin’ here?”

The purple haired girl smirked and leaned back on the bleachers. For once, the sun was shining on their tan faces. The two were shedding their sweaters, as it was a warmer afternoon at Overwatch High School. Since it was the day before Thanksgiving break, Coach Bayless gave the students an opportunity to make up any classes they missed on the track to fix their grades. Jesse, not feeling up to running, decided to sit back and relax while his friends tried their best to keep up with some of the track stars practicing out there with them. He didn’t mind losing a few points here and there. Running was more of Genji and Lena’s thing anyways. Besides, why work on the final day? It was his time to relax. Or, it was, until a certain someone showed up.

“Eh, I felt like showing up,” she said. “Haven’t seen ya in a bit, _amigo_. Besides, some girl hired me to hack her boyfriend’s phone for fifty bucks and I couldn’t pass up on that offer. Rent is tight now.”

Jesse gave her a look but focused back his attention to Genji running the track with Hana and Mei. “I haven’t seen you in weeks. Where’d ya go?”

Sombra shrugged. “Here and there. A bit of everywhere. Visited Ecopoint, did some business in Grand Mesa, and I’ve actually learned-”

“How’s Amélie?”

Sombra, annoyed by the cut off, continued. “I’ve actually learned where the best places were to get some coffee. You know that cafe called Sentry in Grand Mesa? It’s actually-”

“Sombra,” Jesse said, giving her his full attention. “Can you jus’ answer the question?”

She huffed and crossed her arms. “For once, can you not be so obsessed with her? _Dios mio_ , McCree, you’re giving me a headache here.”

“I’m not obsessed,” he said, calmly. “I just asked.”

She sat up straight and sighed, turning to the cowboy. She looked at the hat on his head distastefully but continued on. “Lie’s fine. She’s going back to school now.” The hacker opened her bag. “She’s been going to therapy again ‘cause of her mom. It’s gonna be her first Thanksgiving without her boyfriend, I guess, so she wanted to make sure the girl was okay.”

Jesse was about to ask her something until he saw the pack of Marlboros leaving her bag. “Not here. Come with me.”

The cowboy looked around for Coach Bayless’ wandering eyes only to find him yelling at Lena for helping out some freshman on the track. Taking advantage of the distraction, he took the pack of smokes and rushed behind the bleachers, Sombra quickly following him behind. Once out of sight, she took out her lighter and the two took a long drag on their cigarettes. It felt like a nice day to them. Nothing too overly dramatic was happening and there wasn’t a heavy emotional problem they had to deal with. No one was going through a crisis or anything of the sort. The two teens felt like they were in the middle of a peaceful blip and just relaxing for once felt nice. The past month felt so exhausting and just finishing up the month felt nice.

Smoke trickled out of Jesse’s mouth. “What else has been happening?”

Sombra shrugged, looking at her cigarette. “Same old, same old. She’s too scared to talk to anyone, too worried about everything else-”

“I meant with you.”

She looked taken aback. “Oh. Why ask? I thought we weren’t friends like that.”

“It’s called being polite, you know.”

The hacker smirked again. “Does this mean I’m her new replacement?” When met with a frown and a playful yet somewhat hard shove to the shoulder, she laughed at him. “I’m kidding, jeez! I’ve been okay. Been working a bit and just taking care of Amélie from time to time. Making sure that we both don’t end up broke or dead. Thanks for asking, man.”  


Jesse nodded, leaning back against the cold metal of the bleachers. He took another drag off his cigarette. “Has she talked about me at all? Has she mentioned any of us?”

Sensing the fun mood has gone serious, Sombra’s smile slowly vanished. “Sometimes. She just talks about the old times a lot with her and Gerard. Occasionally, she would mention something funny you said or times Grass Head bought her coffee but that’s it. She misses that”

“Grass Head?”

“Kid with the green hair? Aren’t you, like, in love with him or something?”

It didn’t take him too long to figure out. “Genji? Really? Grass Head is what ya call him?”

“You aren’t denying you’re in love with him, McCree.”

He felt a smile tug at his lips and moved out from under the bleachers to check up on Coach Bayless. The man was encouraging the sophomores in the class to run faster while the seniors were barely jogging. He saw that all the way in the back were Genji and Lena talking about something Jesse couldn’t hear. He didn’t deny the stupid nickname; Genji’s hair was as bright as grass in the middle of the spring. It was vibrant and the first thing to look for if you lose the younger Shimada in a crowd. But just looking at the younger male made his grin so wide that he felt his face would freeze that way. They haven’t spoken about what happened between them to everyone else. It was just their special thing.

_”I’m saying I want to end up like them. I want us to end up like them.”_

“He’s a special guy to me,” Jesse said, taking another puff on his cigarette. “Figured Lie would’ve told ya that by now since yer all buddy-buddy with her.”

She chuckled, throwing away the half-smoked butt. “Good one. I have trouble just getting her to tell me how her day was. I’m more friendly with you or Jamison than her.” She put away her pack and lighter. “So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

“My mom always throws a potluck. Everyone’s coming over. Why?”

The hacker bounced on her heels. “Well, I was talking a bit to Amélie last week when she was in a decent mood and… I think she’s probably ready to see you guys.”

Jesse’s cigarette dropped from his mouth and fell onto the gravel below him. “Really?! She is?!”

Sombra nodded, failing horribly at disguising her huge smile. “Yep. She’s been getting a lot better and I think she’s ready to see you again.”

He was in disbelief. “Sombra! This is amazing!” he exclaimed. Out of nowhere, he picked her up and spun her around. She gasped in shock. “Thank you,” he said as he put her down. “Thanks for bein’ here.”

She collected herself and fixed her hair. “Well, I couldn’t be around forever. You’re lucky I helped you out for free, McCree. I could’ve made big bucks from ya.”

“I’m jus’ glad you helped me out. I missed her, y’know. I missed her a lot. If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably still be knocking on her doors everyday waiting for someone to answer.”

The two heard a loud yell from Coach Bayless and immediately, the sounds of different types of shoes moving on the metal bleachers were heard. They backed up, not wanting to be chew out by the coach again, and waited for everyone to leave. Jesse could see how tired and sweaty his friends looked from the other side of the bleachers. Hana, tired and complaining loudly, was being carried over an energetic Aleksandra’s shoulder. Once all the students and Bayless entered, the two emerged from underneath the bleachers and back into the sunlight.

“Jeez, you guys are like fuckin’ soldiers. I’m glad I graduated early,” commented Sombra. She turned back to Jesse. “Well, I should be taking my leave. Pleasure working with you, McCree… if that is your real name.”

She started walking towards the parking lot as Jesse watched on. “I still don’t know _your_ real name, y’know,” he said.

She shrugged him off and didn’t look back. “You don’t need to know.”

“It’s only fair, girl! Don’t leave me hanging like this!”

She turned around once she made it halfway. “It’s Isabel, alright?” she said with a laugh. “But I’m still Sombra to you! Don’t get any ideas, kid!”

And with a smile on both their faces, the two went their separate ways, continuing on with their separate lives.

 

The Blizzard felt unusually colder than normal to Satya as she walked in.

The place was less packed than normal, a puzzling experience for the skater and her coach. She noticed a lot of people she used to go to high school with were already on the ice or doing their homework in the lounge. She spotted Amélie’s little brother on the ice along with Lena, one of Mei’s more talkative friends. Genji was over by the benches having a conversation with Tekhartha Zenyatta, someone who she thought was too kind for his own good when they were in school together. Jesse was busy handing out skates to the new customers, looking like he would rather be anywhere but here. As Liao went back to the car to grab something, she noticed that everyone was around The Blizzard somewhere doing their own thing except for her.

She wondered why didn’t Mei show up yet.

“Can I help you?”

That voice. That voice always aggravated her. She spun on her heel and looked down at the person speaking to her. “Lúcio Correia dos Santos. How do I always have the pleasure of seeing you when I least expect it?”

The DJ rolled his eyes and took another sip of his coffee. “Trust me, I’m not all that excited ‘bout this either. What are you even doin’ here? Come to kick everyone out for your precious _practice?_ ”

Satya raised an eyebrow at him. “I am here to talk to Mei. Why are you here? Come to harm the customers eardrums with your so-called _music?_ ”

“Ha ha ha, very funny. I’m dyin’ of laughter here.” He took another sip and sighed. “Does a day ever go by when you’re not bitter?”

“Do you still think that noise you’re playing on the speakers is good?”

“You…” He sighed, dropping his insult. “Honestly, I can’t even talk shit about you anymore. You’re killin’ me here, Satya.

“Good to know. Where’s Mei?”

“She’s in the back looking for a broom. Try not to make her cry, alright Princess?”

Her eyes followed him as he started to walk towards the rink, cup of coffee still in hand. “Does that make you the frog?” she asked, snidely.

Lúcio couldn’t help but laugh at her remark. He yelled out to someone on the ice and waved to a girl skating towards him. She was a younger girl that Satya didn’t remember seeing during her time at school. As they hugged, Satya noticed how long her brown hair was and how odd those little pink marks on her face were. The odd ones always attracted the even odder ones, she guessed. With that, she informed Liao and took her leave to go towards the employee changing room, hoping to find a short girl with glasses looking for a broom bigger than her.

After thinking about The Blizzard and where she was right now, Satya felt a bit off. Sure, she’s been to the place almost every single day for quite a while now and has gotten very comfortable with the place easily. It wasn’t like Ecopoint’s Ice Rink. It wasn’t like there was constantly crime and other sorts of trouble around every corner. This place was safe and enjoyable to her. It was right up to her standards and even popular among the local residents here. Satya even went to The Blizzard back when she was a little girl and even visited often. After a while, it starts feeling like a piece of you that never changes. But something felt off about it. And Satya didn’t know what it was.  


She could tell whose coat was who's just by the looking at the racks. She could tell who put up passive-aggressive sticky notes on the office door just by the style of writing. Genji seemed like the type to write in cursive while Lena was the type to draw smiley faces above the i’s instead of just doing a normal dot. It seemed like a mess back here. Backpacks thrown wherever, old employee t-shirts on the benches, cardboard cutouts of their signature plastic drone lying on the floor. Satya, so used to being orderly and never messy, was appalled and uncomfortable at the sight. It wasn’t until she heard some rumbling that she felt a little at ease.

Mei entered the room and closed the closet door behind her. She was surprised to see the skater in here. “Satya? Why are you all the way back here? I thought you’d come around later.”

The taller girl nodded. “I was. Liao decided to stop by early and spend time here for a while. Would you prefer it if we left?”

Mei shook her head, clutching the broom in her right hand. “No, no, this is fine! Perfect, actually. I like spending time with you. I just wish you gave me a heads up.” She noticed the skater eying the broom. “Oh, I dropped my mug by accident. Blame Genji for scaring me.”

The girls both exited the room and made their way out to the receptionist area. The remains of a white mug were lying behind the desk. As Mei got to work, Satya tapped her foot, trying to think of something to say. “Did you particularly like that mug?”

Mei shrugged. “My father gave it to me when he visited Vermont. It was a cute little mug but it wasn’t anything big. I have two more at home anyways.” She scooped up all the remaining shards and threw them away. “Hey, Satya, are you busy next week on Thursday?”

“Most likely I’ll be practicing,” she responded. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s Thanksgiving.”

“I don’t celebrate that holiday.”

“I’m not really a fan of it,” Mei admitted. “But my dad is coming back home on Tuesday and we’ll be cooking for Ana’s potluck. I was thinking that maybe you could come along too to hang out or something. I figured Liao would probably spend it with his family but if you both are available then come by.”

Satya frowned. “They aren’t exactly my friends or family. I would feel like I’m intruding.”

Mei shook her head. “No, no, no, don’t think like that! Every year, Hanzo ends up tagging along or Amélie’s little brother ends up breaking something. You aren’t intruding at all!” She stopped and thought for a bit. “Although, I guess since Amélie isn’t coming, Hanzo’s gonna be the one annoying us.”

The skater thought about her options. “You really don’t mind if I show up? I’d feel tremendously out of place.”

“Trust me,” she said. “I’ll help you out for the night.”

Well, it would definitely be better than spending the day with her parents. Her brother would be coming home from his tennis tournament and she knew they’d be all over him or her mother would berate her for not being supportive. Spending the day out would be ideal and she could even make food with Mei to feel like she really belonged in the group. Besides, the Shimada brothers would be around to keep her company and she could make sure they both didn’t kill each other by the end of the night. Satya didn’t know the Amaris or even Mei’s father all that well but she hoped with all her heart that they liked her. Nothing worse than going to a party to know that the hosts and the guests would rather have you go away. But, at least with Mei around, she wouldn’t have to panic too much. It’s just like going to a competition. But with more food and more crowdedness.

More of a rapid heartbeat all night anyways.

“Thank you for the invitation. What time should I come over?”

Mei’s smile couldn’t have gotten wider. “Around two.” She put the broom by her desk.

Liao, noticing the two girls were back, stood up and walked towards the desk. “There you are!” he exclaimed. “So, are you ready to talk about business, kiddo?”

 

“Quite a slow day today, don’tcha think?”

Lena, taking a break from the ice, took a seat in the lounging area, waiting for the children’s skate lessons to start. Business at The Blizzard seemed a bit slow today and Lena was feeling quite lonely. She still felt a bit off about Genji and Jesse’s sneaking around and now they felt closer than ever, making her feel isolated. They hadn’t bothered to say much to her at the sleepover. Mei was still around and still made her feel part of the crowd but not by much. The older girl was too focused on Satya and school and barely talked about anything else. If it wasn’t college, it was Satya. The last one around was Lúcio and he was too busy with his family. The group didn’t feel like the group anymore. Maybe it was because of Amélie missing, maybe it was because they were all focusing on their love lives, or maybe because they were just all growing apart. Lena didn’t know. But right now, she was desperate for company and, at this point, anyone would do.

Hanzo looked up from his laptop, eyebrow raised at the younger girl. “Why are you talking to me?”

Lena shrugged. “Is there a law saying I can’t say anything to perfect Hanzo Shimada? I don’t think so, right? I’m just saying that it’s a slow day today, love. Don’t you think so?”

He returned his eyes back at his laptop. “Yes, I suppose so.”

She sighed and put her head down on the table. “What are you even doing here anyways, Hanzo?”

“The wifi is acting spotty at Watchpoint. I swear it’s the girl with the purple hair that keeps messing with it. This was the closest place available that had working wifi and my assignment for English 101 is due in an hour.”

“Why didn’t you just finish the assignment last night?”

He shut his laptop. “Why are you asking questions about my life all of a sudden? Why not just bother Genji or Mei or someone else but me?”

She raised her head. “Because your brother is too in love with Jesse and Mei is too in love with Satya. Lúcio just left to be with parents, Hana went with him, and Amélie won’t talk to any of us anymore. I miss everyone so much but I feel like no one misses me. You’re the only one left in this place and I just wanna talk to someone. Is that too much to ask for?”

Hanzo took all this information at once, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sudden issue being laid upon him. “I see.”

“Hanzo,” she asked. “How do you deal with having no friends?”

“I have friends, Lena.”

“Have I just never met them?”

He went back to typing on his laptop. “I’m not having this discussion with you.”

“I know you like Satya and Amélie. They’re kinda your friends. Lúcio too. But only kinda. Do you have any real friends?”

“I believe that friendships and relationships can ruin your chances of success. Look at my father. He is one of the most successful lawyers in the country and he has only acquaintances. People who he can drink and smoke with and occasionally joke about the cases he takes on. But will he ever tell them the secrets he keeps within him? Absolutely not. Never.” 

“You really wanna be like your father, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

“Is it just to appease him and keep the fortune or do you actually want to study law?”

Hanzo immediately stopped typing. He slowly shut his laptop and looked at Lena. He gave her a really good look. She had bags under her eyes. It looked like it has been a while since she last had a good night’s sleep. The smile on her face seemed fake, nearly forced on her face. This was only the first time they had spoken and yet she could read him like a book. He’d never admit it to her but he knew she had that kind of talent.

“Are you trying to be a therapist?” he asked, coldly. “How bored are you?”

“I just asked a question,” she responded. “Besides, I hardly know anything about you. All I know is what Genji tells me. And I believe that not everyone is a bad person. We were all born good. Our experiences just change us. So, no matter what Genji tells me, I believe that you’re a good person. You’re just… I dunno…. Special? Is that the word to use?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Special. That’s an odd word I’d call myself.” He continued to work on his assignment. “You must be truly bored if you are trying to talk to me, Lena.”

“Bored? That’s an odd word I’d call myself,” she joked. “It’s more like I’m an extrovert and I have no one around to talk to. Figured I’d stick around with you.”

“I guess you’re not terrible company. You’re better than Amélie, I suppose.”

Lena immediately sat up straight. “Amélie? You still talk to her?”

Hanzo gave her a confused look. “Why ask?”

“Because she hasn’t spoken to any of us since the accident.” she exclaimed. “Jesse was a mess without her! We kept knocking on her door every day for the entire summer and it took Jesse until the end of October to finally give up. She was our best friend.” She stood up and pushed her chair in. “Are you done with your work?”

“What for?”

“We should go see her!”

Hanzo put his laptop in his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “I’m not going there.”

“Why not?” she asked, grabbing her coat. “If you’re around then she’ll feel okay with talking to us and coming back and-”

“Lena,” he said, firmly. “I’m not going. I’m going back home. Amélie doesn’t want to speak with me. She cut me off after she started therapy.”

“But I thought-”

“Amélie and I had some troubles and decided cutting me off would be best for her health. Ask Genji instead.” He held a somber look on his face. “I’m going home.”

Lena knew her time was limited to change his mind. She had no blackmail on him and had a very small chance of changing his mind in the first place. What could she even threaten him with? She was practically told the second she met Genji that she wasn’t allowed to talk to Hanzo. He wasn’t evil or diabolical as his brother made him out to be. He had feelings just like the rest of them and she knew how much he wanted to see Amélie. Her boyfriend was practically the only friend he truly ever felt close to. Amélie was the last lifeline to that. So how was Lena Oxton going to get Hanzo Shimada to really trust her and take her to Amélie’s?

Out of ideas, she grabbed his arm and lead him outside. “Screw the car. We’re goin’ for a walk, pal.”

 

“Would you like your pay elevated?” Satya asked.

Mei shook her head. “No, I’m fine where I am now. No need to pay me extra for more practice.”

“Would you still like for evening practices to continue on or would you rather come in earlier?” Liao asked.

The rink owner gave it more thought. She looked around her father’s office, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in the boss’s chair. The three of them spent the last hour talking about business deals and negotiables while trying to get a hold of Mei’s father. Since he was too busy with his own business deals in Wyoming, Mei was left to make all the deals now. And while the amount of trust he gave her was flattering, it was also terrifying. Of course she knew that Satya and Liao weren’t absolutely money-hungry. But yet, she felt like she made all the wrong choices. She hoped her father was having a more pleasant time in Cheyenne than she was at Watchpoint.

“Well, I’m at school until 1:50 pm. I don’t think I can really come in earlier to let you practice unless you want to come in around four in the morning,” she explained.

“I would rather not,” deadpanned Satya.

“What about a key?” inquired Liao. “I know we’ve discussed it before but I think it’s time we started getting serious about practicing here so you don’t have to stay behind any later. We don’t want to be harming any other potential business for you, kid.”

Mei thought it over. Yes, they did discuss having a key earlier on when they first met but she brushed it off, not thinking about how big Satya had become. Her routine was all over the latest figure skating websites and even had a segment some talk shows. The Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships were coming up very soon and if Satya didn’t perform at her top then Mei would most likely be at fault. However, The Blizzard was her home. She didn’t let anyone in it if she wasn’t there. The only person she could trust opening up was only Gabriel and that was only because he practically raised her. She didn’t just let strangers come into her place and act like it was there’s.

But she’s known Satya and Liao for quite some time. They weren’t strangers. They weren’t thieves or maniacs. She knew they meant well. They knew how important this place was to her.

“I think I should probably get you a key,” she admitted. “I don’t want to harm your chances of winning if you can’t come in with me.”

“Nonsense,” Satya assured her. “You are not harming me.”

“I insist,” Mei says. “I’ll get one tomorrow after school. I’ll get Mr. Reyes to watch over the place and head out to make a copy.”

Liao nodded. “I’m glad we got that figured out. Morning practices seems a bit better than the middle of the night. More time for other exercises too.” He stood up. “Satya, continue on with the rest of it, will ya? I’m gonna head to the bathroom really quickly.”

He left and the room was left in silence. Satya didn’t bother to make ice contact with Mei as she read over some notes Liao left. Mei sat awkwardly in her chair, swaying her legs back and forth. They didn’t even reach the ground. After a few minutes, Satya looked up and let her eyes wander around the room. There were pictures of Mei and her family all over the place. She looked at them with curiosity as she moved from picture to picture, looking at a new era in Mei’s life. The girl practically looked the same, only seeing certain people and places leave. It was a different life compared to Satya’s. She wondered what it would’ve been like to actually grow up in her kind of normalcy.

“Where is your mother?” she asked.

Mei, stuck in her own thoughts, jumped back in. “Hm? Oh, she passed when I was a little girl.”

Satya widened her eyes. “Oh. I apologize for asking.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. I’m fine now.” She paused a bit before asking. “What are your parents like? You hardly talk about them.”

Satya went back to reviewing the notes. “I would prefer not to speak of them.”

“Were they athletes too? Did they also skate?”

“Mei,” she said, exasperated. “I said I would rather not speak of them. There’s nothing to say about them. They’re just there, alright?”

The younger girl flinched at her tone, not yet used to the skater’s sudden mood changes. She fidgeted in her seat a bit before asking another question. “Do you like them?”

The skater sighed. “They’re a bit difficult.” She put her papers down and took a good look at Mei. Her heart started beating faster again. “They were always harsh on me. They always tried to be more supportive towards me but I do not think it ended up well.”

“Do you think you got better because of them?”

Satya couldn’t help but scoff. “Why am I talking to you about this? It is irrelevant to our topic. Let’s get back to business.”

“If I told you something about myself, would you feel better talking about yourself?” asked Mei.

Satya didn’t know if she should respond or not. She never got personal about her life with anyone. Not even Hanzo.

Liao was certainly taking a while in the bathroom.

Mei took a deep breath. “At this point in my life, I realized I don’t like ice skating.”

Satya took that like a slap in the face. “Excuse me?”

“No, no, Satya, give me a second here. I can explain,” she said. “I’ve spent all my life inside of the ice rink just watching people every day going on and off the ice. I’ve spent all my free time and my days off and my weekends here just trying to make my father happy and trying to keep this place afloat for him. This was my parents’ dream. This wasn’t mine.” She stopped to look at the picture frame on her father’s desk. It was her and her parents in Lijiang when they were visiting family there. She picked up the picture to get a closer look at it as she continued on. “I want to study weather. I want to study the ecosystem. I want to travel. What I don’t want is to be stuck here in this ice rink following a dream that isn’t mine.” She put the photo down. “Do you understand me?”

Satya, taken aback by the story, could only shake her head. “I understand.” She took the photo and took a good look at it. Mei looked just like her mother. “She seemed like a joyful woman.”

“She was. He opened up this place just so she could skate in peace.” Mei chuckled at the old memories. “I’ve never even stepped foot on ice. She wanted to teach me herself. I guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

Satya put the photo down. “You’ve never been on ice?” she asked, incredulous.

Mei shook her head. “Had no reason to be.”

She stood up and held her hand out. “I must teach you the ways of figure skating then, Mei.”

The rink owner looked at her in surprise. “B-but the business-”

“It’s practically done with,” she assured her. “Mei, If you come, I’ll tell you my own stories. I promise you. I need to have you on the ice with me.”

It was supposed to be her first time on the ice with her mother, someone she truly loved and would always keep in her heart. Satya was no replacement but she was someone she cared deeply for. Satya was the type of girl to leave her mark on you. She was always around, no matter what.

And with a shaky hand, she took Satya’s to follow her towards the ice.

 

Genji ran his fingers through his hair. It was seven o’clock and Lena was still nowhere in sight. Some of the kids were upset that their favorite coach wasn’t around which shattered Genji’s ego just a bit more. However, the fact that he was stuck with a bunch of bitter seven and eight year olds alone made his night seem a bit more like hell. Lena has bailed out on them before but they were all for good reasons. He couldn’t wait to hear the excuse she had for bailing out on him and the whiny kids. His patience was running thin and all he wanted to do was go home. The green haired boy swore he saw his brother here three hours ago. Did everyone suddenly vanish on him? At least Jesse was still around.

He looked over to find the cowboy dozing off at his station. He smiled. Jesse McCree. What could he call him nowadays? He was still his best friend, yes, but Jesse was a little bit more than that. Hell, he practically to him that he was in love with him last night and ran away before Jesse could say another word. They definitely weren’t friends anymore. It felt more than that to him. He wanted it to be more than that now.

“Hey, Genji! Did I do this right?”

He turned his attention away from the daydreamer and paid attention to one of the younger girls performing a Forward Slalom. He clapped when she managed to not fall and ordered the other kids to follow her lead as he looked over to the door once again. Still no sight of Lena nor Hanzo. Night had already fallen on Watchpoint, causing him to be worried. He was lucky none of the mothers seemed to have paid attention to Genji’s mind being elsewhere. Despite being mad at the younger girl, he couldn’t help but be worried. Hanzo could take care of himself just fine. Lena, on the other hand, was a different story.

A door shutting loudly took him out of his thoughts and he looked back towards the front. He was met with the sight of Satya and a red faced Mei holding hands as they walked towards Jesse. Now this was definitely a sight to see.

However, as much as he enjoyed this, he’d rather have his backup with him as he dealt with all the kids. “Hey, Mei!” he called out. “Do you know where Lena went?”

She turned to him to notice he was all alone. She took a quick look around the place to notice the track star was gone. “I dunno! Probably on a break or something?”

Genji shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ll call her when we’re done. I can’t just be left alone like this.”

Before she could respond, Satya led her away to try on skates. This shocked both Jesse and Genji. Mei was never the one for skating. She even swore she’d never touch the ice. It just simply wasn’t her thing. But yet, she held onto Satya for support as she walked over to the rink’s entrance in skates that looked a bit large for her. Genji couldn’t even watch the kids, too caught up in Mei’s shaking body trying to balance herself on the ice. He just laughed at the sight. It was something so cute yet so funny.

Liao exited the bathroom just as Satya took a lap with Mei around the ice, trying to avoid the kids. As Genji watched the coach took a seat next to the others, he couldn’t help but notice how the two girls started to act around each other. It wasn’t like how Mei and Lena acted with each other. He knew Satya well through Hanzo and she was usually such a stoic and reserved person. She would consider this to be embarrassing to skate in front of a bunch of little kids with her friend. But that was the thing. Mei was actually her friend. Mei became someone that Satya cared about and someone she could laugh with and feel comfortable with. There weren’t any walls between them. It was just pure joy and nothing held back. The coach and younger Shimada simply put their work to the side to watch their little performance.

Satya held Mei close to her, making sure the younger girl didn’t end up falling. Every time she lost her balance, the skater couldn’t help but giggle at how inexperienced the girl was. And Genji couldn’t take his eyes off them. It reminded him of when he and Jesse first started hanging out. Nothing but closeness and laughs and not giving a care. It was all about happiness between the two. And it was so refreshing to see someone like Satya open up more to people. It was beautiful to see her walls fall down and so beautiful to see who she let in.

Satya’s heart was beating like a jackhammer as she held onto Mei’s arm. Their cheeks were flushed and their hair was messy. They didn’t care that they had an audience around them. For once, Satya just wanted to relax. She just wanted to savor this moment forever. She wanted to always remember Mei’s rosy red face and her messy bangs and the glasses nearly falling off her nose. She wanted to remember her laugh and how tight she gripped her arm. When she eventually had to go back to Seattle, these were the memories she would keep with her forever.

And all she hoped was that Mei never let go of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> symmeitra is the season 4 comp meta  
> also i really hope i did good with this chapter. i feel like its lacking a lot of good stuff but i hoped you guys liked it at least  
> if you guys have any feedback, i'd love to hear it!
> 
> also come by and talk to me abt symmeitra or mcgenji on my blog (elf-princesa) :^)  
> see you guys at the next chapter!


	9. I'm Sorry/It's Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah its been a while  
> school/relationships/college stuff/writers block have been kicking my ass recently so i haven't really written much. this took me about a month to write. in february i wrote six pages and today i wrote up to eighteen. so i hope you guys forgive me for such a long wait and enjoy the chapter!

“This can go one of two ways,” explained Hanzo. “You could give me back my keys-”

“Or?” asked Lena.

“Or I’ll call my driver to pick me up instead while you’re stuck in the middle of Watchpoint.”

It was almost nine o’clock at night. The streetlamps were the only thing illuminating their path to who knows where. Ever since the two had left The Blizzard, they had been bickering all night about the directions and Lena’s actions. She had a hold on his car keys and was dragging him all over Watchpoint, despite his many protests. Once they visited Amélie’s house to find out that she had left, the two were running all over their small town to find the vanishing girl. Lena’s enthusiasm died down immediately after they started their mission while Hanzo just sulked the whole time, annoyed he had to go along with her crazy antics just to get his car keys back. The night was only getting colder and the elder Shimada’s patience was only growing thinner.

Lena huffed and turned to him. “Do you really want to face a pissed off Genji because you left me out here to die?”

“To be frank, Oxton, I don’t give a damn about you. Now, give me back my fucking keys.”

“Oh, come on, Hanzo!” she protested. “Give me more time, please?”

“Where are we even going?”

She looked around for somewhere to go. “Uh... the school! She could be there!”

Hanzo stopped in his tracks. Upon hearing only her footsteps, Lena turned around to see him on the brink of exploding. “Oxton, give me back my keys right now. I’m not making my driver come and pick me up in the middle of the night.

“There’s only a few more places to check-”

The wind picked up and he started shivering. He threw her a glare. “No, there isn’t! There are no more places to check! She’s not at home, she’s not at Oasis, she’s not at the market, or anywhere in sight! Just give it up already, Lena, and give me back my damn keys!”

“Fine!” she screamed at him, tugging the keys from her pocket and throwing them at his chest. It was time to accept defeat and she knew it. She can’t just stay outside all night with Hanzo and look for a girl that didn’t want to be found. It wasn’t fair to him. The amount of anger she felt in herself was astounding. It would take her only a few seconds to completely break down. She couldn’t look at him. She was afraid there would be tears pooling in her eyes. “I just wanted more time, alright? It’s not fair you get to see her and I don’t. It’s not fair at all.”

Uncomfortable at the sudden outburst, he shook his head and grabbed her arm. “I don’t even get to see her anymore. She cut me off just like you. I’ve told you that I can’t talk to her anymore but, like always, you never listen to me.” He moved quicker as a sudden gust of wind hit him. “It’s so typical of you, Lena. You always ignore the facts and keep these stupid ideas in your head that everything is going to be better one day. If I’ve been friends with her since I was thirteen and I still can’t talk to her, what makes you think you can?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know anymore.”

He scoffed at her. “The cold made you delirious.”

“No, it didn’t.”

“Then quit acting like a child,” he said as they crossed the street. The wind wouldn’t stop. Their hands were like ice and the temperature was only getting lower and lower. Lena stepped over a batch of ice and ignored him, only making him more and more annoyed. The silence was bugging him immensely and the weather only made it worse.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

They turned around a few corners to find the Route 66 Cafe in sight. “We both need something to drink. The tea is decent there.”

“Hanzo, I want to go home. Today was a bust. I just want to go to bed and forget all about today.”

“Look, you are on the verge of giving me an aneurysm and you seem like an emotional mess. We need to calm down and collect ourselves before we both end up killing each other. Amélie isn’t worth this and you even know it, Lena.” 

He opened the doors to find a barista at the counter looking bored out of her mind. The place looked barren, like always, and the chairs looked like they would break at any minute. To him, the place felt just right. He preferred this than the glitzy Oasis diner. At least the orders were quick. Besides, Oasis didn’t know how to make green tea like this place could. And these lonely baristas could definitely use the $20 tip in their jars.

Lena took the seat next to the heater to try and warm herself up as Hanzo ordered two cups of tea. She looked out the window to watch who was entering and exiting the diner. She noticed Fareeha walking to the door with Ana, waving at someone she didn’t see. An expensive looking car pulled up by the door and immediately, Hana ran to open up the door and walk in. That girl was always unprepared for winter weather. She noticed a small girl with a Lúcio t-shirt on leaving with a box of fries. Hanzo watched on as Lena stared at the girl in shock, wondering how someone could walk outside in such cold weather with only a t-shirt and shorts.

“That’s Efi,” he said as he put the cups down. “She’s in the robotics center at Watchpoint. Smart girl.”

“She looks seven,” Lena said in a deadpan tone.

“She’s actually eleven. She helps me with my statistics homework now and then.” He blew on his tea and took a sip of it. “It’s quite good. I’ll probably warm you up if you drank it.”

A bit thrown off from his kindness, she took a sip of the tea. It was definitely better than the coffee or the hot chocolate they served here. “Thank you, Hanzo.”

He nodded and looked back out the window. It was odd sitting at this place with her. This was his quiet spot that no one came to. He knew some of the baristas by name around here. They knew his order by heart. He only ever took Satya here. Sitting with Lena was a bit new to him and he didn’t know if he liked it or not. He barely knew the girl other than being a constant ball of annoying sunshine. He can’t remember the last time he’s seen her this upset about anything. He can’t remember the last time she was upset at all. Did Amélie affect her that much? He knew what Genji was going through but this seemed like a completely different thing with her. It seemed like constant isolation from a girl who loved everyone around her. He couldn’t imagine what that felt like. The only person he was very close to was dead and his replacement shut him out.

Lena looked out the window as she continued sipping her tea. Hanzo knew she was still thinking about Amélie. “Didn't you have a lesson tonight?” he asked, trying to get her mind off things.

Lena widened her eyes. “Shit!” she exclaimed, putting her her cup down on the table. She groaned and dropped her head on the table. “Fuckin’ hell, how could I have completely forgetten about that?!”

Bad idea. “My apologizes.”

She shook her head. “It’s my fault anyways. I shouldn’t have left.” She took another sip of the tea and shrugged. “Well, my mum always taught me the first step of success is failure.”

Hanzo chuckled. “That’s not how it would’ve worked in my household.” He drank the last of his tea and looked at Lena. “How did you even steal my keys, anyways?”

“Jesse taught me how to pickpocket.”

“Figures.”

“This tea was good, by the way,” she mentioned. “Thanks for bringing me here. I really needed it.”

He nodded and they were back in their own worlds again, watching the people enter and exit the diner. The cafe became quiet and all you could hear were the sounds of the heater rumbling. All Lena could think about was how to explain to Mei the reason why she didn’t show up to the lesson. She hoped Mei wouldn’t notice and would be too busy with work. All Hanzo could think about was his talk with Lena on friendship. He noticed there seemed to be a gap in his life since Gerard died and he knew being with Amélie was a bad idea. Was life really too empty for the both of them? Was life all about work or trying to make everyone happy?

“Are you going to Ana’s potluck?”

That pulled the elder Shimada out of his thoughts. “I’m sorry?”

“Ana’s potluck,” Lena repeated. “You came last year with Amélie and Gerard, didn’t you? I remember you got drunk with Gerard while Genji tried to take you home.”

He blushed out of embarrassment. “I remember no such thing.”

Lena had a huge grin on her face. “You kept screaming ‘From one thing, know ten thousand things’ and-”

“Anyways,” he began, changing the subject. “I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll have something planned with my family or maybe-”

“If you come, I’ll come,” she said.

Hanzo grew quiet and took a good look at her. Lena seemed calmer, more gentle. There wasn’t a harsh look in her eyes and she didn’t seem like she was upset anymore. He wondered how fast could someone’s mood really change. She was more of a wild card than Genji.

But still, at least they weren’t both alone.

Lena smiled at him, as if it would close the deal. “I’d love to have a friend there.”

The corners of his mouth twitched as he gripped his mug. He nodded at her and stood up. “Okay. I’ll see you there.”

A refill was definitely needed.

 

 

“You bitch!”

Amélie jumped three feet into the air, shocked by the sudden appearance. Once she turned around to see her unwanted visitor, she felt relieved knowing it wasn’t Hanzo. However, upon meeting Sombra’s furious gaze, she sighed as she continued to put away her clothes, ignoring the insult thrown at her. She tried to speak. “Sombra-”

“You lying bitch!” the hacker yelled at her from the doorway. Her tanned face was flushed with fury and she could feel herself shaking. 

“Sombra, I-”

“You promised to see him! You promised!”

Out of all the things Sombra expected to happen during the week of Thanksgiving, she knew for a fact Amélie would probably be sleeping in on that Thursday to avoid seeing Jesse McCree and all the friends she left behind. What she didn’t expect to happen was walking in to see Amélie and her family packing their bags three days before the big potluck. She felt lied to. She felt bitter and angry. All this time trying to help out Jesse and for what? For Amélie to pack her bags and bail out at the last second. _Of course,_ she thought. _What did I expect?_

The elder girl gripped the lilac shirt in her hands tightly. She could hear the fabric pulling apart. “I didn’t promise to see him,” she muttered. “I didn’t promise to go. I didn’t promise a damn thing to any of you.”

She continued to pack while Sombra looked at her in shock. “Where are you going, huh? Moving so you don’t have to face your problems? Ecopoint? Grand Mesa?”

Amélie waited a few seconds, scared to say a word. After hearing the end of her rage filled words, she took a deep breath. “France. Saint Emilion. I’m visiting family for the week.”

Sombra gritted her teeth. “So when were you gonna tell me, huh? A week long visit to France isn’t worth mentioning to me at all?”

“I was going to tell you eventually.”

“Bullshit!” she screamed at her. “It’s all fuckin’ bullshit, Amélie! Jesus, how selfish can you fucking get?!”

All her work down the drain just because a certain someone couldn’t face her fears. There goes months of free work out the window. All that hope Sombra built up for Jesse was for nothing. She could only dread walking by Fareeha’s house to see a lonely kid wearing a cowboy hat staring out the window waiting for a familiar girl to show up again. He would hate her. He would eventually grow to hate her because she would seem like the one lying. She would be made out to look like the villain when all she really wanted was to be a good kid for once. Sombra grew to like Jesse McCree so much that all she wanted was a happy ending for him. If she couldn’t get on that path, at least he deserved it.

It was silent in the room as Amélie continued to pack. As she began to put away some makeup, Sombra tried to control her temper as she continued to question her. “I told him you were coming, Amélie. I gave him your fucking word. You even said yourself that you were gonna go.”

“I said ‘maybe’.”

“ _Increíble_.”

The French woman threw the bag of makeup on the floor, causing Sombra to jump back in surprise. The clattering sound of purple lipstick and numerous dark eyeshadows falling on the ground echoed in the room. Purple dust littered the floor and numerous caps were thrown everywhere. Amélie’s breathing became quicker as she stared at the broken palettes. Anger filled the room slowly and it was going to overflow.

"You're un-fucking-believeable, Amélie"

“What do you want me to say, Sombra? ‘I’m sorry’?” she questioned, coolly. “Do you want me to beg on my knees for forgiveness and ask my parents to throw away my ticket?” She looked up to face the purple haired girl. “I guess I’ll just unpack now and wait for Thursday to come, right? So I can stuff my face with rhubarb pie and suffer a panic attack with all my former friends around me.”

“Amélie-”

“What part of _I’m not ready_ did you not understand? What part of _I’m terrified to see everyone again_ wasn’t clear to you? I’m not coming back. I’m not going to stay there while Jesse tries to talk to me or Hanzo tries to hit on me while Genji and Mei look at me with pity. I’m not staying there to watch Ana and Fareeha glare at me because they know I killed Gerard due to my stupidity.” She picked up a broken tube of mascara and broken eyeshadow and threw it in her trashcan. “So, for once, Sombra, _let me be fucking selfish_.”

The hacker stood there in shock, taking in the words of her friend. Tension was in the air and it was going to suffocate them. She was stuck. On one hand, Amélie couldn’t just abandon her family and not visit them in France. Despite the fact that she didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, it was still rude to tell her not to see family. However, on another hand, she needed to see everyone before it was too late. What was going to happen at the potluck? This was going to affect everybody, Amélie and Jesse mainly, and she knew it was on her hands. She shouldn’t have mentioned a damn thing to anybody. She was angry. She was so bitter. But, in all honesty, it mainly towards herself. Amélie deserved some of it as well, but Sombra just wanted to scream at her own self.

She gulped, knowing that she needed to ask the obvious question. “But what about-”

“Jesse?” interrupted the French woman. “I don’t know.”

“He loves you, Amélie. You’re his best friend.”

“After all this time?”

Sombra nodded. “Yes. There’s no way that kid can just move on from you like that.”

She sighed. “I don’t know, Sombra. I honestly don’t know. I know this will ruin him. I’m well aware of that. But I can’t change it.” She walked over to her bed and zipped up her bag. “I still have Christmas. I still have New Years. I still have time. I need more time. You can’t just force me to suddenly become a brand new person when I’m still trying to glue back together broken pieces. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish packing.”

“Fucking hell.”

Sombra sighed deeply and leaned back into the bed. The night was a mess. What was supposed to be a fun Thursday night was starting to become a night she was dreading. She thought over when was the best time to break the news to Jesse. She tried to brace herself for the look of disappointment and despair she was going to get. Countless amounts of times saying that she was sorry wasn’t going to cut it and she knew it. Maybe it was better she didn’t visit him and all and say she didn’t know what would happen. Jamison had to be throwing a party that night. She could just tag along with him there and avoid the cowboy.

She looked back up at Amélie who picked off a piece of lint off her leggings. “Were the potlucks always fun?”

The French woman nodded. “Yes,” she said in a quiet voice. “I would be the designated driver. Hanzo and Gerard were always drinking. Lena and Mei would get so stuffed while Genji and I took desserts first. Fareeha always made the best cookies. Ana and Jack would talk to me about my future. Lúcio always had to break up the fights between Reyes and Jesse.” She chuckled softly. Sombra noticed a tear streaming down her face. “It was always a fun time. Most of us don’t even celebrate the stupid holiday. It’s an American thing. But yet, a stupid holiday was the best time of the year to me.”

At first, it was only one tear. Then, it became dozens of tears. The shirts in her bag were becoming wet. Amélie’s hair covered her face, not letting Sombra take a good look at her. It was too embarrassing for her. The hacker on the bed was at a loss for words.

“Amélie…”

She sniffed. “You should go, Sombra. I have work to do here.”

“Amélie, I-”

“Go. Now.”

Finding little use in arguing with someone as stubborn as a mule, the hacker took her leave back into the cold to head home. As she stomped down the stairs and out the door, she couldn’t help but shed a tear herself. Not out of sadness, but out of frustration or fear. She felt useless and livid at the events that had happened. Even worried at what was yet to come.

But she can’t change anything now.

She started up her car and drove back to Ecopoint.

 

 

“I’m surprised you didn’t give her a paycut,” said Liao.

Mei and Liao were enjoying their Tuesday night practice in The Blizzard. Satya continued on with her free skate, looking more loose and free than normal. There was a notable grin on her face and you could spot the change in her moods now. Being on the ice didn’t feel like a chore nor an obstacle she had to conquer. She looked a bit happier. Mei watched on from the bleachers with Liao, examining her every move. December was only a few days away and there was only a limited amount of time before Satya stopped being carefree and started becoming more serious. They were enjoying the light mood for now.

Mei shrugged. “Lena said it was a family emergency. There’s no reason to give her a paycut for that.”

Liao frowned, eyes still on Satya. “But isn’t it weird that the Shimada kid also went with her?” Before Mei could respond back, he yelled out to Satya. “Raise your arms higher in that jump, you’ll get more points.”

The rink owner watched the skater nod and continue on. She sighed. “I’m just not gonna question it, Liao. Lena’s been acting odd recently. She’s been avoiding me, Jesse, and Genji. Always off somewhere or hanging out with other people. I’m not jealous or anything, but I’d like to know why she’s been acting like this.”

“Who knows,” he said. “Maybe she’s jealous.”

She tried to hold back a giggle, causing Satya to look over. Mei waved to her and signaled she was fine. “Lena? Jealous? That’s like Lúcio getting angry.”

“I’m sure the DJ can get pissed off every now and then. Hell, you thought I didn’t notice how he acts around Satya?”

Mei sighed and continued to watch Satya. She moved so effortlessly on the ice, gliding her way through and making all the right jumps. She managed to add a few extra twirls and jumps in all the right places, to Liao’s amusement. Seeing something so graceful as ice skating made her forget her problems temporarily. It brought her back to that night where they skated together. Although it was a beautiful moment to her that made her heart flutter and her stomach a bundle of nerves, she wasn’t meant for the ice. It just wasn’t for her. It was for her parents, not her.

And because she got so discouraged about not having her place on the ice, she thought of Lena. Skating wasn’t a doable distraction anymore. She had to face her problems. What was causing one of her best friends to avoid her? Lena was never like this. She never had problems like this. What happened from the span of almost a month? Was it something she said or do? Was it Genji or Jesse? Mei felt so unhappy about the predicament. Would everything still be okay by Thursday? She would hate for the potluck to be an awkward mess.

“Mei?”

She blinked and looked up to find Satya giving her a confused look. She didn’t realize she had been in her mind this whole time. “Sorry, what did I miss?”

The confused look turned into a disappointed one. “My improved routine has finished. Have you not been paying attention to it?”

Immediately, Mei started shaking her head and turning pink. “Oh, gosh, no, I have been watching! Did it seem like I wasn’t? I’m sorry, Satya!”

“Well,” she began, relaxing a bit. “Do you have any constructive criticism that could use to make it a bit better? You are my audience, after all.”

Liao jumped in. “I’d recommend making the first Lutz a double instead of triple. Make the toe loop triple instead.”

“Instead of a layback spin, try a Y spin and see how that goes?” suggested Mei.

Satya raised her eyebrows. “Researching?”

“Michelle Kwan was famous for the spin.”

The skater nodded and glided to the exit. “She’s an icon. She deserved the gold at the Olympics in my opinion.” She took off her skates and let her hair down. “Liao, can we call it a night?”

He looked taken aback. “It’s only nine.”

“And we would have another hour of performing the same routine and leave me even more exhausted than I already am,” she retorted. “I believe I deserve a break before skating turns my arms and legs to mush.”

Mei watched the two from her seat on the bench. As much as Liao wanted to be her coach and put a serious facade on, he couldn’t help but have a grin peak through. In a way, Satya was right. Skating from 7:30 to 10 every night was tiring, physically and mentally. A break was much needed. But Mei could tell that Liao wanted to say no. He wanted to say no and tell her to keep going because this was all for gold. It’s all for something she’s wanted since she was a kid. But yet, she’s still a kid anyways. One night off wouldn’t hurt.

And as soon as he said sure, Mei jumped right in. “Do you want to head to my house for tea? It’ll be no trouble at all.”

It didn’t come to her until they nodded yes that this was the first time actually stepping foot in Mei’s house. And before she could change the plans, the duo went into Liao’s car for the ride home with Mei following behind. The roads were less icy today and traffic was unusually quiet in Watchpoint and it was a quick drive back home, much to her dismay. She had no idea if the house was even clean or there was enough tea to go around for everyone. She did recently use a lot for when Fareeha and Jesse came over on Sunday. She was getting too anxious wondering if her house was up to their expectations to even realize they got back home earlier than usual.

Mei opened the door to find that there was nothing really out of place in the house, save for a few cups lying around here or there or a book or two on the coffee table. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked in with Satya and Liao right behind her. “Welcome to my home,” she greeted them.

Satya took a look around. The walls were painted yellow and brick red. The flowery curtains added a homey touch to the place. It was much warmer than The Blizzard. Liao took his shoes off and put them by the door and went inside while Satya continued to take a look around. She watched as Mei took out a stool to reach the jasmine tea on the top shelf of her cabinet while Liao made small talk. She put her boots by the door as she made her way over to their fireplace. There was pictures everywhere, from Mei and her family to random family friends Satya did not know. She recognized Ms. Amari, her previous high school principal, and Mei’s father in a picture laughing together. She saw her previous history teacher, Mr. Reyes, sitting with Mei in another picture. Some things were starting to piece together and some weren’t.

“Mei,” she called out. “You went to Overwatch with me?”

Mei turned away from small talk to look at her. “You went to Overwatch? I never saw you around.”

“Do you have a yearbook?” she asked

Mei nodded and ran upstairs, Satya following behind. There were even more pictures on the wall. She held back a chuckle as she looked at pictures of Mei as a child. Bright blue dresses and giant glasses seemed like they were the staples of her childhood. Her family looked kind and welcoming, a stark contrast from Satya’s family. She looked away and walked into Mei’s white and blue bedroom, scaring the younger girl. The 2015 copy of her yearbook was clutched tightly against her chest.

“Don’t scare me like that!”

“My apologizes.” She guided the girl out of the room and began to walk down the stairs. “Your room seems nice.”

Mei smiled and went back into the kitchen with Liao. They looked at the orange and white cover. “I got this when I was a sophomore. My friend Zenyatta was on the yearbook committee and managed to snag one for me. They dedicated a page to The Blizzard and he thought I should’ve seen it.”

She opened up the book and began to flip through the pages. Seeing pictures of Lena and Hana as freshmen was adorable. Hana still wore the little pink whiskers on her face and Lena wore her old goggles on her head. Mei made sure to avoid her yearbook photo as she was quite embarrassed by it. She let Satya take a look at Genji’s normal black hair, a shock for the three of them that were used to seeing bright green every day. Once they made it to the junior section, Satya made sure to flip all the pages.

“All these people I never bothered to talk to,” she said as she turned the pages slowly, looking at every single face. She stopped at Amélie. “Well, almost all of these people. I wonder where she is now…”

Mei sighed. “Me too.”

Liao began to laugh. “Oh, jeez. Shimada looks so weird without a beard.”

Mei chuckled too. She forgot about how young he used to look. She looked near the bottom of the page. “Hey, look! There’s you! And Angie too!”

“Angie?” Satya asked, looking down. “Ah, Ziegler. She was quite nice to me at school. I hope Germany is treating her well.” She looked back at her photo, analyzing it. Feeling uncomfortable, she turned the page. “No use looking at that old thing now.”

Mei got up and continued making tea while Satya flipped through pages. She didn’t care much for the seniors but she enjoyed reading what other people wrote in the book. Everyone was quite kind to her. It almost made Satya envious. The random pictures of all the students on the pages brought back many memories of school to her. It made her wish she continued on her education. She could see herself in some of the backgrounds in the pictures walking to class by herself. She was even in a few pictures on some pages.  
However, it wasn’t until Liao pointed out one picture that she completely stopped.

“Mei!” she screamed.

The younger girl jumped, nearly spilling hot tea everywhere. “I told you to stop scaring me like that!”

“Look what I found!” said Liao.

She dropped off the tea on the counter and walked over to see what the fuss was about. She gasped. “Is that me?”

“That… is me,” said Satya.

It was a picture of the two from their AP Chemistry class. _Their_ class. She completely forgot they were in the same class together. They were even lab partners. Mei held up a beaker filled with a bubbling green liquid while Satya looked on, fearful. Liao couldn’t help but laugh. Mei and Satya looked on, confused. They knew each other at one point in their life. They were together at some point in high school. It was an odd experience.

Satya looked up to find Mei’s chocolate eyes staring right back at her. “So, when were you going to tell me you were in my life before?”

Mei handed her a mug of jasmine tea. “When were _you_ going to tell me?”

It was quiet for a few moments before Liao looked away and his mood immediately dropped. “Shit.”

The three of them turned to the window in the living room. It was an absolute mess outside. Snow was falling like there was no tomorrow. They all sipped their tea as the flakes from the sky covered the car and the driveway. Some of the cars outside were slipping on the road and some of Mei’s neighbors were already shoveling. Mei sighed and shook her head. This weather was killing her.

“Damn,” said Liao. “And I was tired too. I can’t drive home in this.”

“You two can stay here,” Mei offered before she could stop herself.

The two looked at her. “Mei,” began Satya. “That is a very kind and generous offer but I assure you that we can-”

“So where can I sleep?” asked Liao, cutting her off. “The couch? Guest room?”

Satya gave him a death glare and turned back to Mei. The younger girl looked a bit sheepish. “It’s no trouble, Satya. The roads are a mess. You can leave tomorrow morning, I promise.” She moved towards the stairs. “You can have my room and, Liao, you can have the guest room.”

“Are you sure?” the skater asked. “I feel like we’re intruding.”

Mei shrugged her off and guided the two to their rooms. Liao said his good night and closed the door, immediately falling asleep the second he hit the pillow. Satya stayed in the doorway of Mei’s room, watching the younger girl collect some clothes for the next day. She took a good look around the room, noticing all the science project trophies and ecology books in the little corner on the right and all the pictures of Mei and her friends on the left. Pictures of her mother and father were on the nightstand and the flower curtains were hiding a few stuffed animals on the windowsill. The bedsheets were the same color of Satya’s back home. The white room felt like a discount version of Satya’s. However, this felt more comfortable than her room at home. Maybe it was the lack of parents or the ideal decorations she’s always wanted but this was far better than being home.

“Are you sure, Mei? I can just call a cab for us both,” said Satya.

Mei shook her head and closed the drawer, heading for the doorway. “Nonsense, Satya. Do you really think it’s safe to go out there? I dread of what would happened to you if you left now. You can have my room.” She gave her a big smile. “Besides, all those blankets gotta go to somebody.”

She couldn’t argue with those big brown eyes. She had to accept defeat and go to bed but she couldn’t tell Mei good night just yet. She wanted to study her face forever. Those rosy cheeks. Her button nose. The round glasses and her effortlessly done hair. Could time stop just for a few seconds?

“What are you thinking about?” she asked the skater.

_You._ “Nothing,” said Satya. _Only your generosity._ “I just spaced out for a few seconds. Good night, Mei.”

“Night, Satya.”

She doesn’t think she’s ever met someone this kind to her before. Her friendship was something new to her. It was completely foreign. The world of figure skating held some of the most selfish and arrogant people she had ever met in her lifetime. Satya thinks she probably became like one of them sometime in her past. But Mei? The kindest, most generous, and thoughtful person she’s ever met. More than Hanzo or Amélie or anyone else she’s ever met.

She likes to think that she’s always known her, no matter what.

This figure skating season brought them together.

And on that night, Satya dreamed of Mei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> symmeitra is going strong y'all.  
> sorry for the lack of mcgenji content. this chapter focused heavily about lena's mental and physical wellbeing along with amelie and hanzo so i couldn't really fit them in here without making this too long.  
> next chap is the potluck so i'm excited. sorry everything took so long you guys. sorry for the wait too!  
> thanks for all the comments and kudos and such!
> 
> (also come by tumblr to chat about the story or symmeitra/mcgenji stuff: elf-princesa.tumblr.com)


	10. I Hope You Were Lying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise not to do this "update once a month" shit all the time i just had a rly bad case of writers block and i got busy w graduating and going to college type of stuff. this actually took me most of march and april to write so sorry for being gone forever.
> 
> enjoy!

It was a quiet night in the Amari household. You could hear the soft snores coming from Ana’s room and the bed creaking in Fareeha’s room every time she tossed and turned. However, to Jesse McCree, three a.m. did not mean sleeping. To him, it meant inviting Genji over without asking and cuddling him in his bed. Thanksgiving break was truly a blessing in disguise. He could get used to being underneath the covers and feeling the warmth radiate from the younger man’s skin. All the blankets in the world couldn’t compare to Genji. Jesse couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time he was ever this happy. Or when was the last time he actually stayed up this late.

He started playing with Genji’s hair, briefly remembering how Isabel, or Sombra, once called him “Grass Head”. It put a smile on his face and looked down to find that particular “Grass Head” trying hard to keep himself awake. His blinks were becoming longer and longer. His head was on Jesse’s bare chest and their legs were tangled together. Genji’s pale hand was right on top of Jesse’s heart, enjoying hearing how slow or fast it would get. Jesse’s hands were all over Genji’s abs, carefully tracing them. The cowboy was so full of love that he felt like his heart was going to burst at any second.

“Are you still awake?” asked Genji, quietly.

Jesse nodded. “Yeah.” He continued to curl the vibrant green strands with his fingers. “You don’t have to stay awake, y’know. You can jus’ go to bed.”

Genji sat up, his hand now moving to the middle of Jesse’s chest. “I don’t want to.”

Jesse stared into those big brown eyes, feeling lost in them. Their faces were getting closer. Their noses were nearly touching. “Why not?” he whispered.

The younger Shimada closes the distance between them. His lips were so soft and tender to Jesse. The cowboy felt at peace with the night as his arm reached over and gently caressed the side of his lover’s face. He pulled him in closer and the kiss became deeper. Genji could feel how fast Jesse’s heart was beating as their skin was touching. Their lips parted slightly and Jesse went the grab Genji’s hand, interlocking their fingers together.

Genji pulled back, gripping Jesse’s hand. “If I go to sleep, I feel like I’ll miss this,” he whispered back. He propped himself up and sat on Jesse’s lap. “And that would be a travesty, don’t you think?”

The cowboy couldn’t help but grin. “It would be, darlin’.” He gave him a quick peck on the forehead. “But you’ve been up since four in the mornin’ and I think it’s time you took a nap, don’t ya think?”

Genji looked a bit disappointed but hopped off anyways. “You’re right. Besides, tomorrow is a big day anyways. Ana starts cooking around seven any-”

_Clack!_

Jesse quickly turned towards his window. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

The younger Shimada raised an eyebrow. “Probably the leaves? Or the wind?”

“No, no, no, it was a little tap at the window.”

Genji shrugged it off and turned on his side, chuckling. “Maybe we should both be sleeping, Jesse.”

He frowned. “Yeah, probab-”

_Clack!_

The two looked at each other and moved towards the window. As soon as Jesse opened it and looked down, a rock had hit him in the middle of the forehead.

“Ow! What the-”

“Sorry!” a voice said from down below “I didn’t know the window opened!”

The boys looked down to find the culprit standing in purple leggings and a sweater three sizes too big for her tiny frame. Her purple hair looked greasy and messy and even from two stories above her, Jesse could see the prominent bags under her eyes. She looked paler than usual and was shivering in the cold, windy weather. It was a different type of Sombra that Jesse wasn’t used to. He was concerned but also a bit worried. Genji never met Sombra or even knew why Jesse talked to her. It felt embarrassing to even mention her to him. He hadn’t had the slightest idea how to introduce them to each other.

“Sombra?” Genji asked.

Never mind then.

“Grass Head?” she asked. “Didn’t expect the cowboy to make a move yet. How’s your National Government grade?”

“Good, thanks to you,” he responded. “Please keep it down, it’s three in the morning.”

Jesse pushed him aside. “What’s wrong? Why are you here? And what’s with the rocks?”

Sombra sighed. “I need to talk to you about something. Can I come in?”

The boys looked at each other with wary looks. Genji went to grab his shirt while Jesse stayed at the windowsill. “I dunno, Sombra.”

“ _Relájate_ , I'm not going to kill you! This is important, Jesse! Put on a damn shirt and let me in!”

He quickly shushed her and closed the window. Grabbing his shirt, he tried to go down the stairs without waking up Ana or Fareeha, Genji following close behind. He saw the pleading behind her furious words and instantly got worried. What was so important to tell him at three in the morning? Was there a death in her family? Did she need a place to stay? His heart sank at all the other possibilities.

Jesse opened the door and she walked in, dragging her boots. She was surprised by how nice a house could look after being stuck at her shitty apartment for so long. Amélie’s house was always so messy but this place was so neat and warm. It felt like a real home. And it was a damn shame that she wouldn’t be allowed back.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her quietly. “You don’t look so hot, girl.”

“Sit down,” she said. “Both of you.”

The room becomes even quieter. They could hear Fareeha shuffling again then stop moving. The only noise they could hear now was the low hum of the heater downstairs and Sombra pacing back and forth.

She sighs. “I have been trying to figure out for the past two days how am I going to tell you this, McCree. How am I gonna make it up to you or even how am I gonna talk to you again. I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?” he asks her.

“You, I guess. I considered you a friend and now I feel like everything is just gonna go down the drain.”

He stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a small smile. “We are friends. You helped me out big time. Now, I can’t help you if you ain’t tellin’ we what the hell is goin’ on.”

She nodded and took a deep breath. “Amélie’s not coming.”

That small smile dropped to a big frown immediately. Genji’s eyes widened and Sombra held her breath. Jesse’s hand dropped back down to his side and he desperately searched her fearful brown eyes for any implications that she was joking. He looked down to the floor while she backed up. He could feel Genji holding him, telling him kind and helpful words in hushed tones. This was it. Another disappointment. Another chance gone. He wasn’t going to get his best friend back. He was going to deal with her empty seat and another month of people telling him it wasn’t the end of the world that she’s gone.

“I’m sorry,” Sombra quickly said. “I’m so sorry. She said she was gonna come and even promised me but there was a stupid trip to France her parents booked and there was-”

“It’s fine.”

Sombra stopped in her tracks. Genji let go for a second and looked up at him. “What?” they both said.

He looked up and sighed. He nodded at her. “It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

She looked at Genji with confusion all over her face who returned the same look back to her. “You… you aren’t mad at me? At all?”

Jesse shook his head. “Am I hurt? Yeah, pretty badly. But not at you.” He took a deep breath. “If she don’t wanna see me, then I’m jus’ gonna have to deal with that. We’re still okay. I’ll live.”

Sombra looked at the two boys for a second. Genji held him close, telling him how sorry he was and how Jesse was going to be okay. She shook her head. “I should’ve told you earlier. I’m sorry I finally got the courage today of all days.”

“It’s fine, Sombra.” He gave her a small smile. “It’s better than you not telling me at all and letting me find out.” He paused for a moment. “Are you okay."

She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm good."

He nodded and looked away. "Y’know," he said "There’s more than enough room for you to come over tonight.”

“Just as long as you shower,” added Genji.

She felt a bit uneasy at the offer. "Really, cowboy, I know I've helped you out before but you don't need to do this."

"I wanna invite ya over, Sombra. It's not because I owe you or whatever. I like you and I want ya to stick around for a bit, yknow?"

Sombra chuckled and managed to smile back at them. “You drive a hard bargain but I’m sure I can make it.”

“I'm glad," he said with a small smile. "Go home. Get some rest. We’ll talk later on.”

She left the house, leaving Genji and Jesse in the middle of the living room with their thoughts. Their smiles were gone and they were feeling a bit down again. Jesse left to his room without a word while Genji followed behind. As soon as his bedroom door was closed, the cowboy began to take off his shirt and head back into bed.

“Jesse?”

“Hm?”

Genji crawled back into bed with him again. “Are you okay?”

It was silent for a few moments. “...Yeah.”

“I know you’re lying.”

“Well, Genji, when it’s times like these, you gotta be okay. You just gotta.”

 

“I feel a bit overdressed for the occasion.”

Mei shook her head, looking over to Satya once again. She never grew tired of those amber eyes or her long black hair. She couldn’t help but smile as she grabbed two water bottles from the fridge. She tossed one to Satya. “I think you look great, Satya. You don’t really need a ball gown for a potluck.”

The skater rolled her eyes. “I’m well aware of that. However, I feel like I should’ve dressed down for the occasion.”

Mei shrugged. “Well, it’s always a combination of both every year. Half of us end up dressing in sweats and half of us end up looking like we just left church. No biggie if you’re wearing something nice.”

“Mei, this dress is over six hundred dollars.”

“Well,” a gruff voice said. “You must be pretty well off.”

The girls looked towards the staircase to find a short and bulky man coming towards them with unique ties in his hand. His face was littered with wrinkles and his glasses seemed too big for his face. His hair was short and choppy but nicely combed for the occasion. By the look of joy on Mei’s face, Satya could tell that this was her father.

She cleared her throat and stood up from the couch. “Good afternoon, Mr. Zhou.” She extended out her hand to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He looked at Mei and noticed her beaming smile. He turned back to Satya. “Ah, so you’re the skater who’s taken over my night hours! Nice to meet you, Satya! I’d shake your hand but I’m in a bit of a predicament right now.” He held up the ties for the girls to see. “Which one? The one with the turkeys or the ones with the autumn leaves on them?”

“Turkey,” the girls said.

He nodded and tossed the other tie over his shoulder. “Thank you, ladies. Now, Mei, start up the car for me. Satya, grab the cake from fridge for me, will you? I need to call Gabriel and see if he’s bringing me that wine I liked.”

As Mei’s father went back upstairs to talk to Gabriel, the girls followed commands and went outside to wait. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t as chilly and windy as the previous days in Watchpoint. There was a soft breeze blowing their hair back gently, giving them only a slight chill. There was no cloud in sight and no indication of any rain or snow coming down tonight. It was a beautiful day to celebrate their family and friends.

Well, _Mei’s_ family and friends.

Satya sighed and thought about the events of tonight as the three of them went inside the small van. Ana clearly didn’t know her well enough. Neither did Fareeha or Gabriel, or anybody else they invited. Hell, Lena and Jesse didn’t even know her well enough and they’ve been talking to her almost every day. She imagined how the night would go. She assumed she’d cling to Mei, Genji, or Hanzo for the night while someone had to bother her about her work once again. Or worse, she’d have to listen to all these stories and inside jokes between everyone and feel lost and out of place. She assumed even Hanzo had some embarrassing tales to tell at the dinner table. What could she say?

Satya was surprised at house nice the Amari home looked from the outside. It was painted a nice beige color with little tulips growing right outside the doors. The grass was nicely cut outside and there were numerous amount of different colored cars parked in the driveway. As they walked closer to the door, the sounds of people yelling were becoming more and more clearer. Although worried, she still stayed as Mei gave a knock on the door, acting like there was nothing wrong. She shook her head, clearly not used to small family gatherings.

The door opened to reveal a messy haired Genji wearing a semi-formal shirt with black sweatpants and sneakers. And yet, he still managed to look fashionable. “Yo!” he greeted them. “Glad to see you guys here. Another minute and Morrison was gonna kill us all with his stories.”

“Gabriel here yet?” asked Mei’s father. “I’m sure that would liven up Jack.”

Genji shook his head and lead them to the kitchen. “Nope. What did you bring, Satya?”

She handed him over the platter as the four of them walked to the kitchen. She didn’t realize she was breathing funny until they were halfway down the hallway. “Some type of cake they made during festivals. Mei didn’t tell me much.”

Jesse, with an anxious look on his face, exited the kitchen quickly to find them blocking his path. “Hey! Didn’t notice you guys came,” he said with a nervous laugh. “What did ya-”

His sentence cut short as something gooey was thrown at his head. The five of them peered inside the kitchen to find Fareeha with a mixing bowl in her hands and a confused look on her face. She caught Satya’s eye and shook her head. Satya assumed she must’ve thrown it until she saw a tiny woman with gray hair and an eyepatch next to her, hands full of dough and fire burning in her eyes. She grit her teeth and raised her hand up for everyone to see.

“How. Do you. Mess up. THE BALADI BREAD RECIPE?!” yelled Ana.

While Mei and her father were more shocked by the baking disaster, Satya was just taken back by Ana’s attitude and manners. Genji was just trying to keep it together so Ana wouldn’t throw gooey bread at him too.

Satya cleared her throat. She paused for a moment. “Does… this happen often?”

Fareeha nodded. “Yep. Eleven years of living here and he still doesn’t know how to cook the bread.”

“At least he made the Sayadeya properly. Jesse, clean up. Fix the bread for me, Fareeha.” She turned around to wash her hands then grabbed the platter from Genji’s hands. She continued working as she talked. “I take it you’re the ice skater, right?”

Satya felt a bit disappointed to know Ana couldn’t remember her name. Twice today was she only called as her profession. It left a bad taste in her mouth. “Satya Vaswani, ma’am. I was also a student at Overwatch. Part of the Honor Society and president of the Physics club as well. You frequently came in to talk with us. I wasn’t just a skater.”

Ana nodded as she put another dish in the oven. “Satya! I remember you now. You always were a charmer. Good to see you’ve made some friends.” She opened the fridge and took out a few vegetables. “I’m glad your career took off too. You’re in good hands, you know. The Blizzard is a great place. Mei is always a lovely girl to everyone. I’m sure you’ve probably experienced that firsthand but-”

“Mom!” Fareeha exclaimed, saving Satya. “It’s her first potluck. Let her mingle for a bit.”

Ana waved her off. “Alright, alright. Good to see you again, Mei. You as well, Guangli. How was your trip?”

As Mei’s father stayed in the kitchen to chat with the Amaris, the girls began to explore the house. It was a lot different than Satya expected. The colors on the walls were so warm and inviting. Passing by pictures of a young Mei and Jesse brought a few stories up as the two girls wandered the halls. That boy still kept that odd cowboy hat with him all this time. There were pictures of people Satya had never seen before, a couple standing behind Jesse or pictures of a young Fareeha and an older man. She decided it would better not to ask, fearing that being too nosy would result in judgment from others. And here she thought that the normal gala was difficult for her. House parties were much more troubling to deal with.

They finally made their way back to the living room to find Morrison and Reyes arguing. Jesse and Genji were talking as they were trying to pull the rest of the dough out of Jesse’s hair. Hanzo stood in the corner drinking wine despite the fact that it was still early in the day. The Thanksgiving Day Parade was playing on the tv and Satya watched the blimps go by as Mei walked over to help the boys. She remembered watching these when she was younger and feeling envious of all the kids being there with their parents. Now, she hardly thinks about the holiday. It’s just another day to practice.

Remembering that she was alone, she quickly made her way over to Hanzo for company. “It’s only two in the afternoon,” she told him.

“I don’t care much,” he responded, taking another sip.

Quiet company was better than no company. She continued on. “Where are your parents, Hanzo?”

He shrugged, looking out the window. “They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. My father is working and so is my mother. I’m just here to make sure Genji doesn’t drink himself to death. Besides, Ana likes me.”

“She does?”

He shrugged again, eyes still wandering outside. “I suppose so.” He turned to her. “Do you know when Lena’s coming?”

She was shocked to hear that question from him. Since when were the two friends? “No,” she responds. “I don’t.”

Hanzo sighed. “I have a better chance of seeing her than seeing Amélie,” he said. A loud ring was heard and he immediately pulled out his phone. He started to go for the door. “Excuse me for a moment. This is important.”

And with that, Satya was left alone in the living room.

She found it funny. Despite being in a crowded house, she still felt lonely.

 

It was about five o’clock when everyone started eating. Lena immediately dug into Hanzo and Genji’s chestnut rice while the two boys started wolfing down Morrison’s mashed potatoes. Satya was a bit hesitant to try out Jesse’s sayadeya but, to Fareeha and Mei’s encouragement, she found it delicious and began to grab more. Gabriel and Ana skipped the food and went immediately to dessert, enjoying the savory taste of the mooncakes Mei and her father brought over. Plates were getting more and more full and the dinner table was looking more and more empty as the holiday went on. Satya couldn’t help but smile at all the happy and stuffed faces around the table. Jesse and Lena looked like they were in a food coma and hearing Genji laugh with Hanzo felt like a once in a lifetime event to the skater.

There was a nudge on her shoulder. “So, Satya,” asked Mei as she took a seat next to her. “How are you liking it so far?”

There it was again. That warm feeling. “It’s quite extraordinary. While I am still not a fan of the holiday, it is quite nice how happy everyone is. The food was incredible as well. I’ve never had mooncakes before. You did an excellent job at them.”

Mei gave her a kind smile. “Thanks! I really love coming here every year. So many cultures combining together, yknow? It’s great!”

Satya nodded. “Coming here was a nice change from practicing today. I’m glad I listened to you.”

Over near Jesse’s side, he began to debate with Genji whether or not to retreat upstairs and put on sweatpants. His eyes closed and he leaned back, talking about if he should wait for the food to settle to go eat again or go grab the rice pudding Reyes brought while it was still there. The younger Shimada barely paid attention to him as he focused more on Mei and her romantic life. He raised an eyebrow at the two giggling girls, pushing his plate to the side and leaned back.

“Do you think they’re going to grow up and finally admit their feelings for each other today?” Genji asked.

Jesse opened one eye. “Hm? Morrison and Reyes? They’ll still hate each other even when they’re dead.”

Genji looked over to his teachers bickering over the food.

“Nice store bought potatoes, Jack,” said Reyes. “A real hit.”

“Never knew rice pudding could be so bland, Gabe,” retorted Morrison.

Genji rolled his eyes and turned back to Jesse. “Funny, but no. I meant Satya and Mei.”

Jesse sat up and looked over to the girls. They seemed to be sitting closer to each other now. He shrugged. “I dunno, Genji. They’re both special cases. Mei is too shy to say a word and Satya seems… stubborn, I guess. It’ll be a while for them to actually say anythin’ to each other. Hell, it took me four years to say anythin’ to you.”

The younger Shimada nodded, still looking at the girls. He sighed. “I said I wanted to be like them but now I think they have to try and be like us.”

“Every relationship is different.”

“I meant as in ‘they should actually get together like us’.”

Jesse laughed and sat up straight. “I give ‘em until New Years. After that, they’re done.”

Genji rolled his eyes and picked at the remains on Jesse’s plate. “So optimistic,” he said with a mouthful of Lena’s beef wellington.

There was a knock at the door and Jesse’s eyes lit up. The two immediately ran to the door, eager to find their friend behind the wood. The cowboy opened the door to find Sombra holding a plate covered in tin foil. She looked cleaner and more healthier than she did at three in the morning. She shed her baggy purple sweater and dirty leggings for a cleaner ensemble. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her lavender skirt and tugged a bit tighter on her blazer, the wind outside picking up a bit. Although Jesse invited her and had been eagerly waiting for her arrival, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness and disappointment wash over him. He was glad to see her. He really was.

He just wished Amélie came along as well.

“Miss me?” she jokingly asked. She handed him the plate. “Hope you like flan, _vaquero_. Took me forever to make.”

The boys smiled at her. “You look lovely,” noted Genji.

Sombra shrugged. “Needed to shed my work clothes for a day. I feel like I’m going to church again.” She patted Jesse on the shoulder and walked in. “I’m glad to see ya, McCree. Hope I’m not too late.”

The boys walked her to the dining room and handed her a plate, telling Ana how they invited another friend over and hoped there wasn’t too much trouble. Sombra immediately poured herself a bowl of rice pudding and sat herself down next to Reyes, catching up with her favorite teacher about her life now. For such a tiny girl, she had a bottomless stomach. She piled pounds of food on different plates and continued on her conversations with everyone. Lena watched on as the boys crowded around the mysterious hacker and Hanzo, disappointed that it wasn’t Amélie showing up, distanced himself a bit more from the table with Lena following right behind.

Satya took a bite of the flan. “It’s a bit strange but it tastes quite nice.”

Mei nodded. “Mr. Reyes used to make this all the time when I was younger. This reminds me so much of that.”

“Did you always come here when you were younger?”

The rink owner nodded. “I used to come here a lot with Jesse’s family. My mom would always forget that this was a holiday and would come over anyways. After a while, we just started inviting more and more people over and it became a little party for us.” She stood up and fanned herself. “With all these people coming over now, it’s getting pretty stuffy. Wanna go outside for fresh air?”

Satya looked into those big brown eyes that she found herself getting lost in more often. She hesitantly got up and followed her to the backyard, leaving the party behind her. She turned around and took a good look at the party before closing the backdoor to sit on the porch with Mei. Genji and Hanzo were watching her carefully, making her feel a bit paranoid. Reyes and Morrison were finished arguing and instead enjoying their company with Ana and finishing their food. Lena was rambling on to Hanzo about something Satya couldn’t hear from here. The skater took a deep breath and closed the door, taking a seat on the bench right next to Mei.

“The weather is exceptional tonight,” remarked Satya.

The sunset looked gorgeous on this night. A perfect combination of yellow, orange, and pink tones. While Satya was occupied with the sunset, Mei couldn’t help but keep her eyes on Satya. Her eyes traced those sharp cheekbones and the curve of the skater’s nose. She loved how her dark hair shined underneath the glow of the sun and how graceful she looked just sitting down. Mei felt her heart leaping out of her chest every time she had an opportunity to really look at her like this. Every time she saw her, it felt like the first time. Butterflies everywhere and words getting stuck on her tongue. She wondered if all her crushes were going to end up like this. She hoped there wasn’t ever going to be another crush.

“You look amazing tonight, you know,” confessed Mei. “Really, you do.”

Satya’s face had a small tint of red on it but she brushed off the compliment. “Well, it’s a special occasion. I had to look good.”

“You look all the time, Satya,” she admitted. “When you’re skating or when we’re walking or even when you were just coming over for tea and cake. You always looked good.”

Satya was at a loss for words. She awkwardly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “T-Thank you?”

The genius sat further away. “Sorry. I probably made you uncomfortable.”

The skater shook her head. “No, you didn’t.”

It was quiet between them. There was a slight shuffle from the inside and Satya could hear footsteps stopping right outside the backdoor. Mei didn’t seem to notice, putting all her attention to birds in a nearby tree. The party was still going on inside.

“What do you think of me?” questioned Mei.

Satya turned towards her. “Excuse me?”

She stood up and stood in front of her crush. “What do you think of me, Satya? How do you feel about me? Because sometimes I feel like we’re friends and other times I feel as if you treat me differently. Like there’s something more to you or something more to us that you aren’t telling me. Something you don’t want to tell me. And I want to be there for you and I care about you a lot, but you just push me away and I don’t know why. Is there something about me that you don’t like? Do you just not like me?”

“Mei-”

“I know I haven’t known you long but, please, just be honest with me. I feel something towards you and it’s something I don’t really feel towards a lot of people. I like you, Satya. I really do.” She took a deep breath. “How do you feel about me?”

Satya knew what she wanted to say. She knew how she felt towards Mei. She wanted to tell her that she felt the same way and that she was going to be with her and that this was going to be a fairytale. But she was a pessimist. She knew how things were going to be.

There was no fairytale ending.

“You,” she began. “Are my coworker.”

Mei gulped. “I see.”

Satya couldn’t bear to look at her. “I would like to hold a… professional relationship with you.” She closed her eyes briefly, worried if she continued on then her real emotions would come out. She didn’t need tears now. “I consider you a friend of mine that I trust and care about.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Mei.”

“Because of the ice rink?”

Satya shook her head and stood up. “You are more than The Blizzard, Mei. You are bigger than that. You are the first person to make me feel like I’m more than my work. I have a personality and a life beyond ice skating, and you acknowledge that. You make me not feel so lonely. You make me feel like I belong with you and your friends. I admire you for that.” She put her hands on Mei’s shoulders. “You are more than your company. You are more than this.”

“You say all of this but do you mean any of it?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then why can’t you like me back?”

“Because I can’t!”

Silence had hit them hard. Satya never lost her temper. Mei felt like she took a slap to the face. Their breathing had gotten funny.

“I… I think I should go check up on my dad,” she mumbled, moving towards the door. “I don’t want him drinking too much.”

She left Satya standing there outside while she ran up the stairs.

 

The rest of the night was uneventful to the party goers. Morrison and Jack ended up going home early with containers full of food. Fareeha, Jesse, and Genji were busy on the phone with a half awake Angela. She told them how sorry she was to not be able to visit due to how hectic college had been in Switzerland but promised to come back down for Christmas. While the three of them were busy on the phone, Lena and Mei were busy sitting on the stairs and catching up, feeling as if they haven’t spoken to each other in months. Hanzo decided to leave early so he could study and Sombra had been taking a small nap on the couch. Satya decided to spend her time helping Mr. Zhou and Ana out in the kitchen. When the three had hung up the phone, the boys found Lena and Mei and sat down with them.

“Despite some bumps in the day, I think this was probably the best potluck we’ve had so far!” chirped Lena.

Genji nodded. “A bit quiet without my brother getting absolutely hammered, but I’d say it was super fun.”

“It was nice to have my father and Satya around,” added Mei.

Jesse leaned back. “I’d say the food got even better this year. That rice pudding was the shit.”

Lena blew a piece of hair away from her face. “Y’know, I miss the pie.”

“What pie?” asked Mei.

The track star stood up. “Remember Gerard’s chocolate pumpkin pie?”

Everyone thought back to last year’s potluck. No Sombra, no Satya, only Amélie and Gerard acting like secondary parents to everybody. Seeing those two being so in love and so happy usually made everybody happy. They always brought the best desserts to the potlucks, from eclairs to weird pies Gerard decided to make. They were always a hit.

And right now, the group missed them. “That was a pretty good pie,” admitted Genji.

“Screw the pie,” said Jesse. “I miss Gerard and Amélie more. You can get pie any day. People like that only come once in a lifetime.”

Lena nodded. “You’re right.” She stretched out her back and headed down the stairs. “It’s getting pretty late. I should head home. See ya guys at work tomorrow!”

As she grabbed her containers of leftovers, the group waved to her goodbye. She pulled on her coat and walked outside to face the cold weather and dark night. The festivities of the holiday was finally settling down. People were enjoying their food comas and time with their families. The streets were clear and quiet. No kids running around in the snow or cars zooming up and down the streets. It was during times like these where she felt at peace. Despite having fun at the party, she felt as if she was being drowned out at times. She’d like to hear her own thoughts sometimes during the party.

It was a long walk from the Amaris to the Oxtons but she didn’t mind it. Having a giant sweet tooth was her achilles heel and she really felt like she needed to walk off all the rice pudding and ice cream she ate tonight. The skies were clear and there was no sign of snow in sight. It seemed like a wonderful night to end the day on.

Her phone buzzed as she stepped over a patch of ice.

**Mei:** do you mind picking up some extra aspirin for tomorrow?

She laughed as she sent out her message.

**Lena:** oh boy. who’s been drinking this time? fareeha or genji?

She took a left turn and changed her course to the nearby drugstore as she got another message.

**Mei:** it was actually the boys. ana forgot to lock the cabinet again. 

**Lena:** already at the drugstore, love. try to make sure they don’t break somethin again. Night :-D

The fluorescent lights shone so brightly in the store and the heat was blasting. The bored teenager on the counter kept picking at his nails while another customer took her time in the medicine aisle. Lena took off her jacket and headed for the food aisle, grabbing some ginger ale and crackers for boys tomorrow. She picked up one of Mei’s favorite candy bars as well for the hell of it and then made her way down for the medicine aisle. She looked around and found the aspirin all the way on the bottom of the shelf. Annoyed, she set her stuff down beside her and began to grab two or three boxes. But yet, another hand reached for that same box.

She immediately retracted her hand back. “Oh, sorry, love.”

The other customer did the same. “You can have it,” she said while Lena talked.

The two immediately stopped talking. They recognized each other’s voice. That familiar accent.

“Lena?”

“Amélie?”

Their eyes widened. Before Lena could say a thing, Amélie grabbed three boxes of aspirin and immediately started for the door, forgetting to even pay the kid.

“Wait!” she called out. She picked herself up and ran after her, leaving her unpaid items and leftovers behind. She pushed open the door and chased after Amélie trying to stuff three boxes in her coat pockets. “Wait for me!”

Lena grabbed onto her coat only to be brushed aside. “Get off me!” Amélie ordered.

The track star caught her breath as the two stopped for a bit. She pushed a piece of her bangs away from her face. “You forget I got trophies for running, love?”

Amélie stayed silent, not daring to look at her former best friend. After a few moments of awkward silence, she sighed and looked at her. “Didn’t forget. I knew you were gonna chase me.”

“Why didn’t you run?”

“It would be pointless anyways. You were always stubborn and persistent.” She handed over a box of aspirin. “Here. Since you needed it.”

Lena took the box and gave a forced smile. “Thanks, love.” Things became quiet again. It was a tough situation for both of them. “Jesse told me that you were supposed to be in France for the week. Visiting family and stuff. Why did you lie to us?”

“I didn’t lie. Our flight got pushed back.”

“Pushed back three days?”

Silence for a moment. “Maybe.”

The French woman mentally slapped herself. What was she supposed to say? She was caught in her own lie and she didn’t know how to make up for it. It was embarrassing for her. It was even worse with Lena. If this was Jesse or Genji then maybe it would’ve been a bit easier. But Lena? Pure hell.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered.

“We missed you, Lie.”

That made it even worse. “I know.”

“Why didn’t you come tonight?”

Holding back tears was a skill Amélie had perfected at this point. “I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“It would be too hard for me. Just seeing everyone looking at me like I was a pity case or Ana staring at me like I was a criminal would kill me. I just couldn’t do it.” She gripped the box tighter. “I’m sorry that I left for so long. This is hard.”

“I know.”

Amélie sniffled. “Do you hate me?”

Lena shook her head. “No.” 

“Why not?”

“Because you’re grieving.” She took a deep breath and continued on. “We were all grieving. I was grieving. We all get over it in different ways and different times. I got over it by the end of July. Genji and Mei were fine by August. Jesse took until the end of October. Imagine having a mental breakdown on Halloween. Scary things.” Amélie gave a small laugh and Lena joined in before continuing. “It was your boyfriend. Practically a second father to all of us. You’re going to take a while. Some of us can’t really deal with that and some of us realized this. Hanzo won’t stop talking about you. Jesse’s finally learned to shut up about you.”

Another laugh. “You sound like Sombra.”

“She came over today, actually,” Lena admitted. “She made us flan.”

Amélie raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Surprising. I guess she made a friend in Jesse. Good to have a replacement on stand.”

The younger girl shook her head. “No one can replace you, Amélie.”

The French woman nodded indifferently and looked away. “What was the aspirin for?”

Lena looked down at the box. “Incoming hangovers and stuff.” She stuffed it in her pocket. “The boys started drinking around the time I left, I guess. Not my style.” 

Amélie chuckled. “I remember when we first got you drunk. You were screaming at us to go to the pub.”

“Good times,” joked Lena. “Hey, uh, are you doing anything right now?”

“I was going to visit Gerard, actually.”

Lena hesitated but asked anyways. “Can… can I come? I was going to visit but I didn’t have a ride.”

Amélie couldn’t help but smile. The first genuine smile on her face in a very long time. “Sure.” She started to make her way to her car but stopped in her tracks. “But you might want to buy those first.”

“Oh! Right!” She ran back towards the drugstore. “Be right back!”

Her heart felt like it was on fire. Not because of the amount of running she had to do, but because of the day. It’s been months since she’s even seen Amélie. The world had practically stopped once their eyes locked. She never saw how thin she had gotten or how pale her skin had become. She was like a completely different person now. They led completely different lives now. She wondered if this was this the first time her friend felt somewhat lively. Was she the only one Amélie had talked to since she left them? What was going to happen now? How long would they have together before Amélie left again?

As she gathered her items and belongings and set them up on the counter, she felt a brief wave of panic wash upon her. Amélie was going to leave again. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. That sinking feeling was already hitting her. This wasn’t going to be forever.

She just hoped it wasn’t ending now.

Lena went outside holding a bag of drugstore items in one hand and a container of leftovers in another. Amélie’s car, a dark purple convertible, hummed to life on the road. The French woman awkwardly waved from the driver’s seat, easing Lena’s anxiety. She was still here. She didn’t leave just yet.

She was still here.

All the time in the world wasn’t enough for Lena and Amélie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for being so patient with me. this was a pretty long chapter to write and i wanted to get a lot of things right here. don't worry about how satya and mei are doin right now, it'll all be explained later. symmeitra is endgame guys. also, i hope i did well with the reunion. i felt like it was a bit rushed but i tried my best.
> 
> hope you guys enjoyed and as always you can chat w me about the story on my tumblr: elf-princesa.tumblr.com


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